Thursday, January 17, 2008

That and This.

I am 34 years old. Mr HSBoots and I got married 11 years ago. And look! Just two days ago I grew up and got some furniture!



It's amazing how long these things can take. There always seems to be money for everything else except furniture, lamps, non-essential stuff like that. But I've finally had enough. After all, why else would I have a huge car accident, followed by a smallish ICBC settlement, if not to finally have a place to put the dishes?

I've been knitting on the Log Cabin blanket, but it's not working out like I had hoped. The thing is, the spiral design would have looked great if I had 20 balls of the same three different colours. Unfortunately, I have 20 balls of about 7 different colours. I would have done better to have knit a traditional log cabin, with a dark half and a light half, divided down the diagonal axis. But I'm not ripping this out. It's a 38" square so far, and it just keeps growing.



I won this yarn at the Fun Knits inventory party - six hours of pure leg-crampy, hip-ach-ey hell, punctuated by hourly yarn giveaways and crowned with the best pizza I've ever had. I was lucky enough to win the Grand Prize, which was the yarn for this blanket. It came in kit form, actually, to make a cool afghan made up of blocks of intarsia.

Intarsia.

My skin crawls just typing that word.

So I opted for the multi-coloured log cabin throw instead, and I must say I love it despite its confusion of hues. It's amazing how tempted I was to buy yarn so I could keep the colours consistent. I firmly squashed the urge, though, and have been working on accepting the fact that, whatever its colours, the blanket will be fantastically warm.

D'you know what I hate? Every single weekday, the postie drops off the mail. But instead of going down Next-Door's driveway, along the street, and up my driveway, Dude just ducks under the trees and crosses our two lawns. See the evidence?



And he comes round at 9.30 AM, just when I'm sitting near the front window checking my email and drinking my cuppa. Every single morning I about have a heart attack when a man's shape suddenly looms up directly outside the window. I don't know why I am still surprised when he does this.

So if anyone from Postes Canada Post is reading this and knows what policy he's violating (I DO know they're not allowed to cross your lawn) please email me and tell me who I should address my letter to.

In case there is anyone still reading this profound post, I would like to publicly thank Penny, of Random Thoughts from Another Dilettante, for choosing me as the winner of her two-year blogiversary contest. I got this delicious banana yarn - as well as some tasty UK goodies - a good while ago and kept meaning to post about it.



I haven't completely decided what to make, yet, but I do have some ideas. I saw a beautiful scarf in Fun Knits while I was there counting yarn and trying not to gibber with crazed frustration, and I think I'll beg the pattern off Shelley. It looks like just a yo k2tog with edge increases/decreases to create a cool bias thing - only about 8 inches wide. It's nice and I think it'll look good with this yarn. Thanks, Penny!

PS: Thank you so much, everyone who voted for me in the Canadian Blog Awards. I must say, the thought that people might be coming here to check whether the blog is any good kind of gives me writer's block. ("You don't say.")

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EDIT
Uh oh. The Yarn Harlot just asked everybody to go vote for her friend who is nominated under the category "Best Personal Blog".

So thanks anyway guys. I guess I can hang that belly dance costume back up now.
: )

10 comments:

knititch said...

please don't get a writer's block. i enjoy your blog whether you win or not.

and you are one fortunate girl. winning all sorts of things. the log cabin is great.

oh i know what you mean about the growing up thing. i was 33 before i got a proper piece of furniture and i always forget i was once married. i always thought feeling so childish was due to compensation for not having children.

Anonymous said...

Love the hutch (is that the proper term?)! You grown-up you.

The log cabin blanket is delicious.

My postie does the same d**n thing, only at about 11:25am. Crunch crunch crunch across my stones - gets Chika barking every time.

Long post for writer's block ;)

Annalea said...

Oh no! You mean that after 10 years with Mr. Passionate Mind, I'm going to have to wait another year, and have a car accident to finally get a couch???

I think he and I are going to have a talk about this.

I love the sideboard, Shan. (Probably because it looks like something I'd choose to put in my house. ;o) Good choice on how to use your settlement.

Anonymous said...

I love the log cabin the way it is. Admittedly, I am not known for my subtle ways with color (you will understand when you come visit; Annabelle claims I am always the brightest thing on the street), but the colors you're using seem to blend very well together, however many of them there are.

Anonymous said...

Hah, I so feel your pain. Just turned 35 and been married 11 years and we just purchased our new first couch. Glad to hear I am not alone in the universe.

clumsy ox said...

I voted for you and Dave. So there.

I thoroughly enjoyed this post. Our postal worker consistently walks across our "lawn" too... I always find it odd to see someone I don't know walking across my yard.

I have no doubt Norman Rockwell's postal carrier walked across the lawn too. It seems to make it feel a little more like a neighbourhood, so I won't complain.

That and we've sold the house, so it's now officially SEP.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I saw that on YH. Hm.

Anonymous said...

oh, no! too bad about the contest. I voted for you but I guess it doesn't matter now. Luckily theres no "fabulous gem studded prize" after all!

I love that cabinet by the way.

Anonymous said...

Oh drat, re: Harlot. She's such a bomb. I mean, I like reading her, and she's cool in person and all, but that kind of power trumps us little guys.

Gena said...

I'm digging the blanket! I think I would be freaked out every day too, if I saw someone walking across my lawn. It's just not natural.