Then through all these swatches I realized I liked to work with cotton, and I made a bag bottom and I kept going.

I came up with a pretty spiffy body which works up rather well. I’m pleased with it. It’s a simple HDC pattern throughout, aside from the bottom which is worked in SC. For some reason, HDC is my very favorite stitch. I find it elegant.

The handles have been slightly more problematic. Even though HDC in cotton yarn with a smaller hook works up stiff, it’s not stiff enough for the first idea I had in mind, which was sort of based on this. I had to frog those — The Man liked them but I did not, and really, he won’t use them quite so much. Also, I was having so much trouble lining the damn thing last night with the initial handles in my way that tonight I decided to line the bag post-frogging. Check out the cute apple fabric!

Confession : the lining is actually a dish towel I bought once upon a time at the dollar store to sew up a market bag with 2 contrasting towels. It’s more funner since there’s way less sewing involved this way.

Sky

*I hate camera phones.

These aren’t even hard to psychoanalyze.
I drew them in a meeting.
They’re both flying.

Sky

I’ll add these, some about Canada, and some about Québec (the province, which was celebrated last year):

*Québec is a province in which knowing two languages is sort of a given, rather than a praisable trait.
*Canada’s military is mostly used to rebuild & help countries in need.
*Poutine!
*Québec city is 400 years old this week.
*In the province of Québec there are more festivals in the summer than there are weeks in a year.
*Our legal rights (abortion, morning after pill, healthcare, etc) are not threatened by party changes.
*A Canadian flag on a backpack while traveling ensures awesome reception pretty much anywhere in the world.
*Everybody in Canada has access to a quality higher education.
*Our love of DIY and all things handmade is not a renewal but a continuation of traditions we’ve maintained for generations.
*Hockey is the national password. Like it, play it, watch it : you are in.
*Montreal hosted the 1st World Outgames in 2006 and is one of the gay-friendliest cities in North America, and one in which there is very little tolerance for disrespect based on sexual orientation.
*Québec is a world leader in terms of public transportation.
*Canadians are highly educated throughout the country. We value book-learning, and/but our hobbies are also often about pucks using our hands to create & learn from older gens.
*Canadians have no equivalent to Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Fergie or the Backstreet Boys.
*We have Céline (say what you want about her music, she’s a damn good businesswoman), Ryan Gosling/Ryan Reynolds, Alanis Morissette and Feist instead.

I don’t think people list the positive enough, ever. And there is a lot of positive over here. The cold isn’t that cold when it’s yours, and our natural resources make up in beauty what they lack in accomodation
And I like being part of a country whose people are thought of as non-threatening.. even a little bit naive or slow. It doesn’t bother me/us much because as far as stereotypes go, those are rather mild and acceptable.
Canada, don’t change. Unless it’s to get even betterer.

Sky

I have an acceptably sized yarn stash. It is acceptably sized, yes, but quality-wise, it could use some upgrading. I’ve been given yarn by people that I just won’t ever use for a variety of reasons (feels like ass, not remotely enough, colour gives me the runs, etc). I’ve been meaning to clean said stash out (garage sale!) and as I do, I’m trying to use up some of the yarn that’s accumulated. The goal is that eventually I’ll have space for betterer yarn (which I’ve already started buying). I refuse to go into the LYS until I have space for gooder yarn.

Hence this afghan. I printed the pattern eons ago, but one really has to be in the afghan mood to start an afghan. To date, this is only the second one I’ve completed. And I had to wonder at what this said about my sanity, that I started a freaking afghan in the summer. It might say a lot ’bout my brain, but if it does it’s mostly saying that I’ve got little inclination to start a wearable or a dainty project when i’m bathing in sunscreen and cortisone cream.

I didn’t have enough yarn to make the entire thing, but it’s huge enough as it is. Basically I only left out 3 rounds of the outermost circle. The afghan has now been moved to the Christmas stash (it’s red; get it?).

Pattern (free, well written, despite the size, an easy pattern even for a beginner) : members.aol.com/lffunt/skipstone.htm
Yarn : something red in a giant bag - nothing fancy, obvs., just a lot of it.
Hook : M (the N hook recommended just made it too spacey)
Completed in 7 days (June 23-June29)

june 2008

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I spent the next hour or so redecorating my refrigerator. That’s right. All my magnets, postcards, teas and pictures are now in much better order, thanks in part to my OCD. I also did the laundry and folded it and put it away. No small feat considering we got at least some rain on all 3 days away.

You can see the rest of the weekend’s pictures here.

Happy birthday, Québec. I graciously thank you for the 4-day.

Sky

crochet dream catcher, originally uploaded by yeayeayeah.

Another great shot of the dream catcher crocheted by yeahyeahyeah. I think this would be an appropriate project for a camping trip, don’t you?

Sky

* This weekend is my province’s national holiday. As such, I get a 4-day.

* Next week is my country’s national holiday. As such, I get a 4-day.

* I love this place.

* First major camping trip of the season happening this weekend. I, of course, packed at the last minute (meaning I’m not done, and won’t be done until I leave for work tomorrow) and my feet are dead tired.

* Gauge is too damn important, crochet people. I just frogged three motifs because of an inch difference between specified gauge and mine.

* I got a super short haircut. I was also going to do my colour but I’m due for a change so I’m taking the weekend to ponder that.

* Munchkin graduates the 1st grade tomorrow. She’s sad. She’s happy. She’s a freakin’ pest. She has e-mail. Should you want to write to her, e-mail me and I’ll give you her addy.

* My feet hurt.

* I’m reading a trilogy (La trilogie des fourmis, Bernard Werber) about the clash between the ant civilization and ours, and it is quite surprisingly awesome. Of course, it says a lot about us that the ants are much more believable and likeable than the humans we get to know the most in the first and second books.

* I cross paths with a lot of ants in a day. I love how books make you notice such things. Parfum and its way with my sense of smell is another such book.

* My feet really hurt. ‘Night.

(No tree wifi this weekend. Lea’me alone :))

Sky

This is the completely stain-free comfy cardi. I did take it to the cleaner after the salt made most of the stain go away, leaving only a dirty looking blue stain in the larger affected areas, but when I went to pick the sweater up, it was waiting for me on the ground before the cleaner’s table, untouched. A very infuriating conversation followed in which I was repeatedly told to pay 7.52 7.52 7.52, to which I replied - just as many times - that when you want to screw me over, you have to at least make the effort of sticking my untouched sweater into a garment bag. Conclusion : oxy-clean is a fantastic product. And yes, shots of the cardy being worn will eventually follow, I’m sure; it just wouldn’t do tonight: I don’t want to hurt your sensibilities with pictures of a sweaty, post-gym Sky.

This is what I’m bringing with me when we go camping this weekend. 4-day! It’s seemingly simple enough that I can be camping and working on it simultaneously, which is very important indeed. I need a portable project that I can drop at any point and not pull my hair out trying to figure out where I left off.

Vive le Québec libre..

Sky