Flora Finished

Here's a finished object, finally! I admit, it's a quick knit, but I really needed the satisfaction of finishing something during the Christmas festivities. It's a Fall 2005 Knitty pattern, named Flora by Kate Kuckro. I love the simple pattern, especially the flower. I've seen other examples of this pattern completed with crocheted flowers, but the moss stitch flower pattern is the perfect complement to the scarflet that also has a moss stitch border. I also enjoyed learning the twisted loop technique used for the centre of the flower. I didn't quite "get" the technique at first, but after reading the directions over a couple of times, it was pretty straightforward. Initially, I thought of giving this scarflet to my grandma, but my sister loved it so much after seeing it on Christmas Day that I gifted her again. My grandma will probably appreciate a more simpler version of this scarf. I'll be making another Flora for myself next, but I will be modifying it by making the scaflet skinnier and shrinking the flower, either by fulling or using only one strand of yarn vs. two. Who knows, I might even offer my grandma the modified scarflet before taking it for myself. Here are the specs for the finished neck warmer:

Pattern: Flora
Yarn: Patons Classic Merino (Col. Burgandy)
2 strands held together for pattern
Needles: 5.5 mm needles
Notes: great small project with quick satisfying results!

I hope everyone experience some joy this Christmas and holiday season. Eat, drink, and savour any knitting or spinning time that you can get.

Hoping It's Not Another Barbeque

The official first Christmas present arrived yesterday morning. D just pushed the big box around the house from room to room the whole day, probably hoping to batter up the box so badly that we'd have to open the box. We showed D on the calendar as to when he and R could open up the box, and needless to say, he wasn't too thrilled that he couldn't open it up that night. The tape's getting a bit loose on top and there are the beginnings of new holes from curious fingers, but I can safely say that the whole box is still sealed. Thanks Uncle L and Auntie C!!! Our guess is that it's from you two! D's just wondering...it's not another barbeque, is it?

Paper Airplanes

Amidst all the Christmas activities that surround us, childrens' parties, staff dinners, decorations, shopping, music... all I want to do is this:

I found this cool pack of Japanese paper airplane folding paper at Daiso at Aberdeen Centre in Richmond on my Sunday break sans the boys. For those of you who have never heard of Daiso, it's a Japanese "toonie" store full of imported gadgets and goodies of all kinds, including Japanese teacups, notebooks, bamboo knitting needles, and kitchen gadgets. Everything is priced at $2 each, so one can easily go beszerk in here. I know, because I have on more than one occasion. However, it's always worth the effort to go to Daiso, because I always come home with something wonderful or inspirational.
So, like all Japanese crafting books, the Japanese airplane instructions are a little puzzling to follow at first, but the diagrams are so good that I eventually figure it out. D was so excited with his "eagle" airplane that it was hard calming him down for bedtime last night.

Reflections and Resolutions 2006/2007

sweetgeorgia posted some great questions to think about and here are my thoughts in a nutshell....
HOW WAS 2006 FOR YOU? A mix of missing my mom and busy, busy, busy….just trying to keep up with the toddler and preschooler and making time for the husband, as well as myself.

WHAT WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR YEAR? There are many highlights to mention…1) Our first family vacation introducing the boys to camping 2)Digging out the wheel to spin again 3) Moving on from Kool-Aid dyeing to acid dyeing 4) Learning to knit socks and 5) starting a blog

WHAT DID YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH THAT YOU DIDN’T GET TO? Finishing that Electra vest that I started last year. Must finish!

WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING FOR 2007? There is so much I'd like to do. There's learning how to use my new DSLR Olympus Evolt...there's taking courses at Fibrefest or at Place des Arts....but I think I should just try to keep up with the spinning, dyeing and knitting. Oh, I'd also like to experiment with handmade felt and plan for another family vacation or two….

Winter's Here

This is what we woke up to yesterday and I believe it was -11degrees C (-18 degrees C with wind chill) overnight. Beautiful to look at, but I think I much prefer it up in the mountains. If only I had a fireplace! That would definitely make winter a whole lot better.....and of course more time to knit and spin. That wheel of mine has been in the same location in the living room for two months now, and gets an occasional spin from R, who thinks it's funny to get a reaction from me. I guess it's a good reminder that I need to use it. I promise you that it is ignored, but not abandonned.

The past two months have been full of computer woes (power supply and logic board replacement), visits by my brother, L from HK (Happy belated b-day BTW) with his other fab half, C, Hallowe'en, doctors' appointments, more playdates, an added ABC program for D, custom orders, and now Chrismas is here! Whew! I'll definitely try not to get out of the groove again like that.


Lately, I've been enamoured with tweed yarn and experimenting with it. This one is Paton's Tweed Chunky. I love the colours, but I do wish that it was 100% wool, so that I could felt it. There are some felting projects "in the works" at present, so my stash will be worked on....I've even ordered a new felting mat and felting tool. Can't wait for it to arrive!

My Nai Nai

Inspired by Amelia of My Fashionable Life, today's post will be dedicated to some interesting tidbits that I know about my grandma, Nai Nai (who is still living a strong existence in a nursing home today). I'm not totally certain of her age since it is according to the Chinese calendar, but my guess is that she is about 96 years old.

Knowledge of my ancestors is shamefully lacking and obviously full of big gaps. However, I'll do my best to record whatever I can remember off the top of my head. According to my family, my dad was adopted by my Nai Nai in China after her own child died at age two or three. My dad's own biological family could not afford to care for him when he was born (he was the seventh or eighth son to an opium-addicted father), so they sold him to my Nai Nai. My dad's biological brothers later tried to claim him back into the family when he was old enough to help farm and work the rice fields, but my dad wisely chose to stay with Nai Nai. To this day, my dad does not know the name of his own biological mother. Nai Nai refuses to tell him. She most likely plans to take this piece of information to the grave with her. Dad tells us he is still curious, but he does not outwardly appear to be too bothered by Nai Nai's decision.

We've heard stories that my grandma and my dad have seen and interacted with "ghosts" in China.

Nai Nai has survived being tortured by the Japanese back in the early 50s.

After my Nai Nai's land and property were taken away in China, my dad had to beg for food for survival.

My grandfather (Nai Nai's husband) worked in (BC) Canada where he was a cook in Prince Rupert.

"Nai Nai" isn't the typical name given for "grandma" in Cantonese--it is only reserved for those with a higher status. According to my dad, there was a general on my grandma's side of the family which gave her the right to use the "Nai Nai" title.

Honoring the memories of our ancestors is such an excellent (and important) topic! Thanks Amelia, for inviting us to do so. Hats off to all those who took the time to pay tribute to our ancestors, whether in thought or writing.

Beware of Falling Chestnuts!

It's that time of year again... when I brace myself either biking or pulling the two boys in the wagon down 10th Avenue, that I hope the chestnuts don't clonk one of us on our heads! There have been times biking home from work at night that I'll hear a mass of them fall on the hoods of cars sounding like a heavy hailstorm on a tin roof. I always thank my lucky stars that I've not been hit once since moving into this neighbourhood five years ago.

The boys and I were out with the wagon yesterday, which is what got me thinking about the chestnut hazard on the way to the library. The reason why we hauled our books to the library with the wagon was because our car had not just one flat, but two flat tires. Someone with way too much time on their hands and a warped sense of humour, decided to let the air out of my car tires (on the driver's side)and those of several other cars down my street on Wednesday morning. Just my luck. Oh well, the boys enjoyed the sunny autumn day by collecting a pile of chestnuts to and from the library.

As promised, above are pictures of some knitting that I finished on our vacation. It's my first ever pair of completed socks knit using the Magic Loop Method. You can still see the lines down the sock where the knitting was divided in half for the magic loop! I sure hope these lines disappear with some blocking or washing. Still, I'm pretty thrilled to have completed a pair of socks!

M's Socks

Pattern: Wendy's Toe-up Socks
Size: Calculation based on a 9" foot circumference
Yarn: Trekking XXL Color 90
Needles: Addi-Turbo Circulars (2.5mm)
Notes: Love this sock pattern! It's so simple once you get the short-row technique. The only trouble I had was picking up the stitches to close up holes, in a neat way, between the "live" stitches and the instep once the heel was completed.

Other projects on the go include my crocheted and embroidered hats. I just love the beautiful swirl created by this crochet hat pattern. I thought it was about time to update the shop with a few fall hats. I'm working slowly, but there's more to come, including the acorn tassel hats.

Back to Saltspring

Our cabana and the paddleboat that M likes so much.

I don't think I'll ever tire of going to Saltspring Island, which is why I wanted to finish our vacation here. It's such a lovely place! The Saturday Market, the local farms, the sheep, the spinners, the small town hospitality, St. Mary's Lake, Ruckle, the "hippy" shop I like so much near the Fulford Ferry Terminal, and all those apple trees, are all what makes this place so special. One more thing to add to this list, now that we've experienced it, is the Fall Fair, Saltspring's biggest community event of the year.

The last two nights of our vacation on Saltspring were spent at Lakeside Gardens. We stayed in one of their two cottages last year and loved it. Unfortunately, the cottages were booked by the time I phoned this year to reserve, so we booked a cabana instead. Cabanas, all wired with electrical outlets and equipped with coffeemaker, tea kettle, mini fridge, lighting, fan, and heater, resembled a doll house with a loft bed (complete with bedding) and small, comfortable sitting area that could be converted into sleeping quarters for two. Each cabana was also equipped for cooking and dishwashing on its deck overlooking St. Mary's Lake.

At Fall Fair for some old-fashioned fun--so unlike the PNE!

The highlight of our stay at Saltspring has got to be the Fall Fair. We didn't plan our trip to coincide with the fair, but lucky for us, we had the opportunity to attend THE annual community event, and eat the best pie, talk to spinners while they were spinning, see blue-ribbon squash, watch old farm machines work, and best of all, see D and R have a fun time. D actually forgot about his hand injury while playing with clay, watching the zucchini races (zucchinis "souped up" as racing vehicles), bouncing in the "bouncy castle", participating in a candy toss (hunting for candy tossed into a pile of hay), climbing onto some old tractors, and admiring the prize-winning, super sugar-laden cakes decorated by the preschooler to K group entries.

The boys with some quiet activity time after dinner in the cabana. Can you see that D figured out there were games on the cell phone?

So when D was asked his favourite part of our vacation, he did say, "going home," but I guess six nights is a long time to be away from home for a four-year-old. Besides, vacations are usually meant to elicit a greater appreciation for home.

Below is a ranking by D of our accommodations with #1 being the best.

#1 Cabana #12 at Lakeside Gardens (Saltspring Island)
#2 Tent camping (Site #14) on MacKenzie Beach
#3 Clayoquot Field Station (Room #7)--D remembered that some of the teachers and students there didn't offer him any pie the first evening

We're just happy that tent camping didn't end up being in last spot, as one of the intentions of this trip was to introduce the boys to camping. The only disappointment was not being able to have a campfire to roast marshmallows. Oh well, next time.....

A wee bit of knitting content to come in the next post.

Vacation and The Mouse Hand Injury

We're all very glad to be home in our own beds and bathroom. We're also happy to be living in Vancouver where there is no water shortage and no extreme water restrictions. It was one vacation which helped us to slow down and rest just a little, or as much as we could manage as D whined incessantly to go home the first four days while getting used to not having a computer and television to entertain him. In fact, it was quite an eye-opening trip as to just how attached D was to the computer at home.

This is the beautiful rocky beach that we reached via the boardwalk from the property of the Tofino Botanical Gardens.

The first four days of our vacation was spent in the Tofino and Long Beach area. We stayed in three different locations on our entire trip to keep things interesting for the boys. Monday, our travel day to Vancouver Island, began at the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal where we caught the 12:30pm ferry to Nanaimo and then drove to the Clayoquot Field Station and the Tofino Botanical Gardens, our accomodations for our first two nights. We stayed in a dorm-style room (Room #7), which was made up of four bunks, and a small study area. Cooking, living and bathroom facilities were shared with other surfers, teachers and students. We originally wanted to book the teacher suite with our own private bathroom, but it wasn't available for our first night so, we just rented an entire bunk room to ourselves, which did us just fine. The Clayoquot Field Station is a new and unique facility for all those wishing to study and explore the Clayoquot area. Our two days here were spent leisurely exploring the beautiful Tofino Botanical Gardens (which incorporated many different forms of art and sculpture--including live wandering chickens and roosters), the beaches, and visiting the town of Tofino.

There was a moment on our second day of vacation, however, that just left M and me speechless. As we were checking out and reserving our campsite for Wednesday and Thursday at Bella Pacifica, D fell and scraped the palm of his left hand. As expected, he fell apart and took some time to calm down before allowing us to clean and wrap up his hand with gauze. Later that evening as we were changing the dressing on his hurt hand in Room #7 of the Clayoquot Field Station, he came to this sudden realization as to just how lucky he was that he had not injured his "mouse" hand, the hand with which he uses for navigating his online games using the mouse! Was I ever floored by my just-recently-turned-four-year-old's lightbulb moment response! I have to admit that I have a healthy interest in the computer, but I just didn't realize how much my interest was rubbing off on D. Boy, do I have to limit his time on the computer! This trip has also reaffirmed my feelings that we have to take more trips like this to "unplug"--at least once or twice a year, maybe more, so that the boys don't grow to miss the computer more than spending time with their family and friends or with their natural surroundings. We do have another excuse to go camping again, as we didn't quite experience the full camping experience. There was a fire ban throughout the island due to a dry summer, so the boys didn't even get the chance to experience a real crackling campfire with ooey, gooey toasted marshmallows.
Here is just a sampling of the art found in the Tofino Botanical Gardens.

Wednesday and Thursday was spent camping on a beautiful beachfront site (#14) at the Bella Pacifica Campground situated on MacKenzie Beach, a short distance from the field station on the other side of the highway. We had a very sunny, but windy day for setting up our tent, but the view of the beach was just breathtaking. D and R didn't play in the sand too much the first day, since the wind was so annoying, but the winds died down in the evening. D and R got used to playing in the tent and enjoyed using all our flashlights when the sun set. We had all of Thursday to enjoy the beach, swing in the hammock, laze around, and even knit. A big thank you to M for doing all of the cooking, even when it started to rain before dinner on our last night at MacKenzie Beach.Here is the view from our tent as M sleeps on the hammock.
Here the boys are having fun beachcombing and chasing waves on MacKenzie beach the morning before leaving our campsite.

I'll have to report on the last part of our vacation (on Saltspring Island)in my next post. I hear D and R fighting and screaming in the living room......

Goin' Camping

Sorry, no photos today! We've been busy planning and preparing for a camping trip to Vancouver Island. We'll be gone for a whole week and it will be the boys first real camping trip with tents. We won't be in a tent for the whole week, but will be for two days, at least. We can't wait to get on that ferry tomorrow morning. I'll make up for the picture-less post next time.

Spun Up

Here's half a pound of merino all spun up into three skeins of varying yardages in 2-ply--227 yds, 195 yds, and 103 yds according to my niddy noddy. It was such a dream to spin up this fibre that I'm actually sad to have a break until I dye up my next 8 ounces. The colours turned out great after plying even though I kept having mixed feelings about the colours as I was spinning it up into singles. Here's what the dyed roving looked like.

A Day at the Fair

What is summer without visiting the PNE (Pacific National Exhibition) at least once in Vancouver? We spent our past Sunday afternoon at the fair with hopes of fitting in as much fun as we possibly could with D and R. One of my favourite attractions at the PNE is the Farm Country building where the petting farm and country store is located. We hit this attraction first, as we had time to kill before the start of the motocross show that D wanted to see. Here, the boys learned about cows and various other farm animals, including a llama. D took interest in some of the goats and the cute llama, but R seemed most interested in learning how to milk a cow by squeezing the teats on a teaching display! Look how serious he was about it! The other thing that R seemed most interested in was climbing the rocks throughout the petting farm area. I don't think R even noticed the animals!

The first chance I got, I beelined it to the country store to look over the fibre being offered by Shades of Narnia from Chilliwack. I exhibited some great restraint by buying only one bag of soft, sprinkle-dyed mohair to play with at home on the wheel.

The rest of Sunday afternoon included watching a highly anticipated motocross competition (a show I enjoyed more than I expected with some heartstopping moments), playing some causeway games (D won two leopards--one that he gave to R, by skillfully popping four balloons using six darts!) driving remote-controlled cars on a race track, and eating cotton candy. There was a lot to do at the PNE, but just not enough time to do it all. We didn't make it to Playland, the Superdogs show, the Hi-5 show, or to the kids CBC display. I guess it was just too much to expect from a toddler and a preschooler who needed naps and meals at different times. After a Chinese dinner in the Italian garden where R napped for awhile, we enjoyed the garden while D ran around and looked at the funny relief sculptures. R eventually woke up, ate his dinner at the garden, but then managed to work in a tantrum at the Marketplace by rolling around on the floor in the path of many other fairgoers to end our day at the PNE. We were lucky the tantrum didn't escalate into any hair pulling or face scratching, but we quickly decided that we didn't need another mop or sweeper of any kind to bring home. Oh well, the fair still runs another week. We'll see if we're brave enough to try this outing again soon...

Incorporating Goodness

So what do you do to incorporate goodness into the active toddler/preschooler diet when they don't like to eat? You serve them smoothies! If you have kids like mine who don't particularly eat much and are very particular, you have to be sneaky about serving their required nutrients...and it's been working! The boys like the smoothies! Lately, I've been experimenting with smoothies, adding and changing the different fruits that go into one. I also add either skim milk powder and/or flax oil and/or a natural powdered supplement. Sometimes I add yogurt for a calcium boost. I usually involve my kids in making and blending the drink, so that they're interested in drinking it. Here they are drinking a Peach Smoothie. The recipe: 1 frozen banana, 2 small containers of fruit yogurt, 2 peaches stoned, peeled and cut, 3/4 cup water, and 1 tablespoon skim milk powder. This recipe makes enough for my two little guys and a small serving for mom too. I've also tried lychee, pineapple, mango and blueberries in the smoothies. So far, I think the favourite is still the strawberry, banana combo (without the yogurt). I have yet to try avocado in a smoothie, but I hear it thickens one right up with a rich, creamy texture while adding some very good fat into it. Other ideas we've tried, just to add a little more nutrition into my boys' diet, include adding ground flax seed into Rice Krispie treats and oatmeal, almond butter into sandwiches, and simply a variety of different foods served in different ways. For example, D loves cambozola cheese spread on sliced baguette and R loves turkey sausages, cut up of course, and served using toothpicks. Does anyone know other clever ways of incorporating healthy foods into the diet of hard-to-please children? I need as much help as possible.

Weekend Weeding

I can't say I have much productive spinning or knitting to show for this past weekend, but I did receive Paula Simmons' reprinted book, Spinning for Softness and Speed in the mail. It was a very speedy transaction from start to finish. I wrote and mailed my request along with my cheque to Paula (Simmons)Green on Tuesday and I received the book in my mailbox on Friday! So far, the photos detailing how to position the hands for spinning using her technique are very helpful.

What I did accomplish this Sunday was to start some weeding in my poorly maintained garden and to undertake a major clean up of one of the garden beds. Now that Leeanne's garlic have all been dug up, it was a good time to start in on some of those invasive buttercup weeds that seem to send runners out in all directions of available ground space. I really shouldn't let the garden get so out of control!!! That's probably why I didn't have the motivation to even plant green beans this year. I really have to do better next year, especially when I once considered myself a gardener. Well, I'll leave you with a photo of me hard at work, taken by D. Not bad for a snap-happy four-year old, eh? Notice in the background, I did plant tomatoes.

Neglected Sock

My untouched knitting bag and sock...hmmm.....will just have to wait. I just don't seem to have any interest in my sock knitting lately. I love the Trekking XXL that I'm using for the first time, but spinning and dyeing has completely taken over. I've even thought about taking the Spinning and Dyeing course offered at Place des Arts in the fall, but unfortunately, the teacher that was going to be teaching the course is now booked up with private students. I might take the Intermediate Spinning course at my LYS, Birkeland Bros. in November instead, which would be a lot closer to home. We'll have to see if the schedules jive with work and life.


Here is what I'm spinning now--the 64ct "house" merino from Paradise Fibres that is super dreamy to spin. (no VM at all!) I've got to purchase some more! As you can see, I mixed up some black Lanaset dye to try for the first time with my CIBA dyes. It turned out lighter than what I expected on my roving, but the black dye will come in handy for toning down my other colours for future colour mixing.


Look what I found at the library yesterday, a new book! (Sorry for the glare on the pic.) There are such great craft books for kids today! Has anyone tried making the cool pipe loom made from plumbing parts as per instructions given in this book by Sarah Swett? Please let me know if you have. The book gives credit to a weaver named Archie Brennan who thought up the original concept for this type of loom. I'm so tempted to visit the Home Depot today.

Plying Candy Colours

So I managed to spin up and ply my first 1/4 lb. (113grams) of soft, squishy merino dyed in Ciba Washfast Dyes. Here it is! Don't you just love the colours? I wasn't sure I'd like the plying results, but once I started knitting the swatch, I was quite happy with the beautiful variegated stripes. So far, I'm getting about 22sts and 30rows in stocking stitch on 4mm needles for my gauge. I'm not sure what I'd like to knit with it for now, but it is pretty yummy inspiration just to have it around encouraging me to dye some more. God knows I have enough wool fibre around the house from all my online shopping binges!!!


Two days ago, I decided that I would try to dye up another 113 grams of merino before going to work, since it was the last of the one pound bag from Birkeland Bros. I had to work fast with R having a nap, and D willing to watch and help me. I presoaked my fibre, set up my work station on the back porch and went to work deciding on my dye colours which were mostly pre-mixed from my last dyeing session. I basically chose four mixtures, all with glugs of white vinegar mixed in 1)a dark blue made from equal 1% mixture of turquoise and magenta, 2)a very yellow lime green made from 1 cup yellow and about 1 tsp. of 1% turquoise 3)a darker green made from more turquoise mixed in the yellow lime green and 4)a more diluted mixture of the dark blue. Look below to see how it turned out after steam setting and drying. I see some pinks, purples, and rust colours! I just love the randomness and surprise of dyeing.

Bing Cherries and Gelati

The merino roving still hangs on the hanger near my wheel as the weekend was filled up with outings to community playgrounds, and to Trout Lake on Saturday morning for the East Van. Farmers' Market. There was little chance to stroll through the market with two little boys itching for some kid interaction and some fun on the slides. Here you see the boys taking a cracker break at the playground. I did, however, manage to convince the boys that we needed to buy the sweetest, juiciest Bing cherries before we left the market. All but a handful of these cherries (saved for P) made it home as we ate them under a shady tree. What a relief that I remembered to bring the baby wipes!

The boys and I made it out of the house late Sunday afternoon for a visit to the park with the "steep slide" (I think the real name is Swamp Tea Park). Then we took a short walk to Urban Source for cool finds such as cheap translucent sample bottles for my mixed dye colours (25cents each) and hip fabric samples for crafty inspiration. For those of you who have never been to Urban Source, I highly recommend paying them a visit for great alternative, reclaimed art materials. I've attended one of their art workshops that they put on at my neighbourhood house with my preschooler and toddler and had a lot of fun seeing all the ideas that came out of it. Anyhow, once I was able to coax R out of his fascinating activity of inserting styrofoam balls into rolled up tubes of paper in the store, the boys and I met up with P for some yummy gelati across the street. What better way to toast the Italians for winning their World Cup before heading home all sticky from both the heat and the treat.

Diving into Blogland

So, I thought it was about time to take the plunge into 'blogland'. After two years of reading other peoples' blogs and being inspired by so many people's ideas and enthusiasm to share, I felt today would be the perfect day to start documenting a part of my life, which includes motherhood and the crafty, "fibery" pursuits that keep me sane. Why? Because I think it would be a great way to organize my ideas, to connect with other like-minded people, and to capture some of the precious, fleeting moments that I am enjoying as a mother at this time. As there is no time like the present....let's proceed with what I am up to these days.

As you can see above, I am presently spinning up some merino wool fibre (bought from Birkeland Bros.) that I dyed with Ciba acid dyes. It's my first dyeing attempt with these dyes and I love it! I don't think I'll be going back to Kool-Aid, that's for sure. I have a Louet S10 and an Ashford Traditional, but I mainly spin on the Louet (it's my first wheel, which I bought from eBay). Other projects on the go include knitting toe-up socks in Trekking XXL (Wendy's pattern) and the Elektra vest from Rowan 38. (I had to take a break from weaving in all those loose ends.) I really should finish this vest, but I've just been too excited about learning how to knit socks in the past three/four months to think about anything else, with the exception of spinning. My immediate goal for now is just to finish spinning up my merino, so that I can experiment some more with the Ciba dyes on wool.

I'll have more and better pics of my projects to come in future posts.....