top secret project revealed!

I am drinking beer and eating chili. I'm alone in the house. It's a perfect time to update the blog. This may be short and sweet because I want to get to the spiderweb cardigan tonight. (I've started the sleeves!)

So, first off, here are a couple of cute photos of me crocheting the top secret project (scroll down a bit in that older post)! I can finally show you since the big reveal happened on Saturday.



This is me at Alterknit working on the crocheted wrap. Tiny little clusters. The retro Vogue pattern calls them petals.





Here's Lucy (you can see my hair just beside her) showing off the wrap at a Blue Jays' game in late May. I've been working on the wrap since March and have taken almost everywhere.



When I started the project every row took about 25 minutes to complete. My friend Glenice can vouch for that, since I started it while bunking with her at Nottawasaga Inn for the annual work retreat. (I think I actually started it in the car on the way up there. I wasn't driving.) By the time I finished I had my time down to 17 minutes. I forgot to count how many rows I did, so I can't give you a grand total of hours. Next time I see my sis I'll take a peak at the wrap, do the calculations and report back.




Here's my sis opening the gift at her 40th birthday bbq (shared with her hubby, since they both turn 40 this summer).






Sis showing off the beautiful wrap! She loved it!

Something I learned from making this project: switch up your projects, especially if they are big like this one. I worked only on this wrap for months. My arm started aching from the repeated motion. I had to go to physio for a few weeks to recover!


Other photos from June:



Me in Prince Edward County for a wee vacation. Hubby and I had a lovely time tasting wines and eating good food.





Long Dog Vineyard & Winery. Beautiful place. Too bad it wasn't open. I'll just have to go back!




The library in Wellington. Hubby had to visit because he was jonesing for an email check. I love libraries and this one is so easy on the eyes!




Me and Janine! She visited from BC for a few days before going off to see the parentals and grandparentals in another city. We had a great time crocheting - see below! We spent almost an entire day at Knitomatic.



Janine is working on a practice swatch. She's already altering patterns! I can't wait to see what she comes up with on her own!

Lots of nice things

I've had a luxurious life recently. I've been able to do a lot of things I enjoy.

A dear, dear friend from BC stayed with us for two days. She's smart, funny, open, adventurous, and so easy to be around. I just love her! She wanted to learn crochet, so we parked ourselves at Knitomatic on Friday and I did a little teaching. She's off and running with Haley's grocery bag pattern and some Super 10 cotton!

We went to The Paper Place and I managed to spend only $5! That's a first! I bought a mini grab bag of paper ends. Can't wait to make some new collage cards!

Just down the street, we popped into Fresh Collective to pick up a T-shirt that Mandy was repairing for me. See Vacation Friday entry for more on Mandy and my love of her designs. I am now coveting one of her belts.

We had a lovely Mexican dinner on Baldwin Street at Margaritas with BC friend and two Toronto friends. The sangria and margaritas were flowing and the tacos were super messy! Not a good first date meal. Thank goodness I'm off the market. But, I digress. Baldwin Street is just such a lovely little piece of Toronto, especially on a warm summer night. It makes everything in life seem perfect. So, perfect that you don't want the evening to end. This led us to College Street for Big Chill ice cream - yum!

Hubby and I watched Pan's Labyrinth on Saturday night. Such a good movie! Last night we caught up on Entourage and watched this week's episode this morning. Thank you Roger's On Demand.

Sunday morning we brunched with our Sunday New York Times and tv writer friend at Cucina. It was pure Sunday morning luxury that lasted 4 hours.

I checked out Cafe Taste for the first time last night with some new friends. I like new friends and I like Cafe Taste.

I'm speeding right along on the Spiderweb Cardigan. Photo later this week - stay tuned!

not like when I was a kid

Several times when I was a kid (and by 'kid' I mean teenager), I'd forget my keys to the house. I had usually left them in the house without knowing it. I would arrive on the doorstep of my parents' house after school and start digging through my bag, sometimes emptying all the contents before resigning myself. I'd end up across the street at the neighbours'. A few times I was able to slide open the window to my parents' room and climb in. You should be impressed - my parents' room was on the second floor. One time I wasn't so successful and the entire window crashed in. Not such a happy evening for 2D Girl.

Tonight, when I was about 100 yards from my front doorstep, I realized that I'd left my keys in my bike bag at work. I turned around and walked to the park. I called Hubby to let him know. I sat on a bench until I was too chilly and then walked to the Bistro for an espresso.

I sat at the bar, read some neighbourhood news and tried to be patient with a Stella sipping crazy lady two stools away. (She looked perfectly harmless. I am disappointed that my usually fine tuned Crazy-o-metre was on the fritz. Damn you, Crazy-o-metre! Damn you!) If it hadn't been for Crazy Stella Lady, I would have had a fully corrective locked-out-of-the-house experience.