So, there's been something brewing...

Well.

Apparently, it's been over a year since you last heard from me.  What's that all about, you ask?  I can explain.  First of all, I have no idea where the time has gone.  I really don't.  It has been a bit of a blur.

What I do know is that I quit my job. 

Yup, it's gone.  And to answer the question you're probably asking: yes, I am kind of poor.  But no, I don't really mind.  Why?  Because I am enjoying my life again.

Allow me to elaborate:

I was working as a project manager/office manager/interior designer for a small office/large company here on the Island.  It wasn't as stressful as, say, a full-time designer position in a fancy firm in Toronto, but it wasn't all fun and games, either.  I had a lot of responsibility and pressure and not a lot of authority, which is a very tricky place to be.  And it was lucrative, but not excessively so.

I was also commuting in to work 7-1/2 hours per week.  So, basically, for every 5 days of work, I was spending an extra one driving.  Forty-five hours spent sitting on my arse every week.  My back was killing me, my digestive system was killing me (I have a health condition), I was having trouble sleeping and I was miserable.

So, I walked into the boss's office last spring and told them that I wanted to shift down to part-time for the summer so that I could work part-time somewhere else (Belfast Mini-Mills, which is probably my favourite place on Planet Earth, dontcha know) and spend more time moving around outside.  They said yes (though I didn't really give them a chance to refuse) and then, at the end of the summer, I decided that I wasn't going to come back.  My job at the Mills is seasonal so when that ended, I simply stayed home and started up my new business:

Tall Pines

It's been a long transition and I did a lot of soul-searching/worrying/kvetching/bemoaning/researching/freaking out/networking/working/rejoicing/developing and otherwise scrambling to figure out what the hell I'm doing.  It's still a work in progress, but I think I'm finally getting somewhere.  My new website just went live this morning, so I'm here to tell you that this blog is officially closed and I'm moving over to the blog on that site.  If you're still here, I'm really hoping you'll make the move with me.  Pretty please?

I'm so so so thankful for all of you, your presence here, and your kind words over the past few years.  You've all become like "real" friends to me and I really hope you'll join me on this new adventure.  I would never have had the courage to do this if you guys hadn't given me the confidence to be myself on these here interwebs.  So thank you from the bottom of my happy little heart!!

Kisses and hugs! (Live Long And Prosper.)

dw

Progress is Being Made

So it looks like my unfortunate brush with Fate did not permanently ruin Christmas and I am happy to announce that all of my urgent gift knitting is finished and ready to ship.

I am having a really really really hard time letting this one go.  But you know, it's a bit ornate for my personal taste, so I should just get over it already.

I've said it before and I'm sure you'll hear me say it again: lace knitting is magical.  While you're knitting, it feels like you're handling a pile of cooked noodles, but once you soak that sucker in warm water and pin the shit out of it, it transforms into the most amazing fabric you'll ever see or feel.  This is alpaca and silk, so you can just imagine...  Delicious.  And I still have a ball and a quarter of it left, so mama's getting a new scarf!  (I mean ME, of course.  My mother is already getting this shawl, so she's not getting a new scarf.)

I should probably mention (this will go in my Ravelry notes, too) that if you have never knit lace, this is NOT the type of project to start with.  I attended a lace knitting class a couple of months ago and I am not sure I could have made this shawl without having learned some very crucial points from the teacher.  Even just reading the chart takes some getting used to, never mind all the new types of decreases/double decreases.  If you're interested in lace, start small and work your way up.  And don't use lace weight yarn on your first time out of the gate.  Fingering is thin enough to get the effect and is much easier on the hands, not to mention the eyes.  And acrylic is a no-no.  Lace must be blocked and acrylic doesn't really block.

This type of lace knitting isn't really done for enjoyment or entertainment - it's actually kind of gruelling.  I must have gotten lost and/or missed stitches at least 25 times.  It takes a lot of concentration and vigilance.  The teacher told us this at the seminar and I didn't believe her until I tried it.  She was totally right - my neck and shoulder muscles are screaming at me.

Having said that, this pattern is incredibly beautiful (am still totally shocked that I have created something so stunning) and very well-written.  I don't know how the designer did it, but it's perfect.  I am in total awe. 

And the softness and sheen of the yarn is gorgeous beyond description.  I can't wait to make myself that scarf. 

My mom is going to totally love this thing.

Busy Bee

Before:

After:

SWAG!

Ok, so mentioned this on Ravelry (to my peeps), but it bears repeating:

I love Elizabeth Zimmermann. 

I recently bought two of her books, The Opinionated Knitter and The Knitter's Almanac Commemorative Edition when KnitPicks had them on a deep discount for their February book sale.  They arrived about a week ago and my brain has been completely blindsided by the awesomeness.  Holy crap.  I'm getting the shivers, just thinking about how awesome these books are.  For reals.  Go and buy them now.

Also, I bought some yarn.  You have to understand something about this yarn, before I show it to you.  I have been lusting after this particular yarn in this particular colour for over a year.  Jenny posted it in January of 2011 (second photo from the top) and when I saw it, I fainted and then, when I regained consciousness, I fainted again.

We were talking about yarn/pattern obsessions on Ravelry and I remembered it and posted it and then smacked myself in the head for not just buying it already and then I went and found it online and paid for it and waited an eternity for it to arrive and then fell on the parcel like a pack of rabid hyenas when it arrived.

And then I fainted.  And then I fainted again.

The wool is so smooth and even that it almost feels like silk.  And I think this yarn contains every single one of my favourite colours ever and I am totally in love with it.  In kind of an illogical and irrational way.

Oh crap, what am I going to make with it?

MORE BREAKING NEWS!

My cousin had her baby last night! My sister emailed me to say that he is 7lbs, 56 oz (which I assume was a typo - 'cause that doesn't sound right). He has an elevated heart rate (course, I prolly would too, had I gone through that ordeal). They're monitoring him, but it sounds like everyone's super happy! Squee!

BREAKING NEWS

My cousin is in labour!