Course with the Yarn Harlot

This weekend, I spent some time with Stephanie, the Yarn Harlot, in North Bay.  She was up there doing a talk entitled "This is Your Brain on Knitting" which was very good and thought provoking.  Since I have family there and haven't been up all winter, it seemed like a good time to make the drive.

Stephanie's talk was very good and I was especially interested in the study at a convent in France comparing Dementia and Alzheimer's incidence in nuns who knit (lower) versus nuns who did not (higher).  Since my mother had Alzheimer's and her only relative who lived past 55 also had it, I suspect there is a genetic link on that side of the family so think about it in relationship to myself.  Since we have already established through many posts that I love knitting, hopefully I have another strategy (besides exercising and trying to eat properly) that will help me to fight off this dreaded disease if I have inherited those genes.

On Saturday, Stephanie gave a course on how to knit faster.  Prior to the course, I wasn't sure how she would fill the entire day on this subject but she did.  She started with the history of knitting and then showed us the different knitting methods and got us going on each of them.  In the end, we filled the day and I learned a number of different things.  A very good course and a great way to spend a day.  I even made a new friend who I hope to stitch and bitch with shortly.

Thanks to Stephanie and Rae from Stix N Stones in North Bay for a great weekend!

The last tulip

For some reason, even though all of the other tulips have been finished for at least a week, we have this one left.  It stands on its own, looking very fresh and I love it.  Maybe it was the only one of a late variety that the squirrels didn't get.  Or maybe it just likes the weather.

Despite my resolve to be patient and not plant the tomatoes for a few more days, I caved and planted them late yesterday afternoon.  There was some logic to this decision.  It is supposed to be quite hot today so I didn't want to wait until today and have them deal with the stress of transplanting combined with the stress of the heat.  Looking out at them this morning, they are all upright and happy looking so, fingers crossed, I don't think it was a mistake.

My least favourite part of gardening

I love starting plants from seed, especially tomatoes. There are so many varieties to try that you can never find in a grocery store, a local garden centre or even a farmers' market.  This year I'm growing varieties I've been reading about over the last few years:  Federale, Black Brandywine, Green Zebra, Stupice, Druzba, Black Cherry and Black Prince (an endangered variety that is going to be my first foray into seed saving in the fall).  I also started a bunch of other veggies and some annuals in the basement.

The only drawback of all of this winter productivity ... hardening off.  Bringing everything up the stairs and outside for an hour on day 1, a couple of hours on day 2, several hours on day 3, etc.  I have to admit that I have been very bad at this in the past and, for the most part, my plants have survived after showing me in no uncertain terms that planting them too early has not been appreciated.  So this year I aim to more closely adhere to a hardening off schedule that will hopefully make things easier on the plants.

I spent the first three days lugging up and down stairs but today have left most of the plants in a cold frame.  I did cheat and plant a couple of things in the garden just to push the boundaries a bit.  We'll see what happens.  I look forward to all of those yummy tomatoes in a couple of months but until then I'm going to complain about the chore of hardening off.

I feel inspiration coming on

I had a pile of batik fat quarters that I bought on sale at my local quilt shop sometime in the fall, I think.  They have been sitting on a shelf in my craft room, looking pretty but not going anywhere towards a project.  Then I bought some French General fabric on my trip to Stitch in Jordan and they have been inspiring me to create a new quilt.  Since I always wash my fabric - the first quilt I made can never be washed because, despite pre washing the fabrics about 10 times, they still run.  So the quilt hangs on the wall where I hope it will only get dusty. Otherwise, it will have to be dry cleaned or something because as soon as I wash it, I will have to kiss it goodbye.

Anyway, I always prewash my fabric.  And to make a decent load, needed more than just the red French General for the washing machine.  So, I looked around to see what other non-washed fabrics were on hand and spotted the batiks.  Their cheerfulness as I hung them out and the way they looked on the line (not washed out as in this really sunny picture) has now pushed the French General out of my thoughts and the batiks are now sitting in a freshly ironed pile waiting for a project.  I'm thinking I might make something with the curvy templates I bought last time I was in my local quilt shop buying thread and trying not to buy more fabric.

Latest obsession ... finished!

Despite really long rows by the end, this project was fun to make.  It is called colour affection and I discovered it on the Yarn Harlot's blog.  Another good little project that I couldn't put down and I like the way it turned out.  I used sock yarn (as opposed to the variation using lace weight) and that was probably the better choice.  Even though I enjoyed it, I think the lace weight would have gone on too long.

Now it is back to a focus on stash clearing.  I have one sweater in progress and started a new pair of socks.  Unfortunately, neither have addictive qualities and the garden has been distracting me away from projects so I'll have to get myself motivated to continue onward if I'm going to have continued success on the two projects per month.

On the bandwagon again!

It started with the Noro striped scarf.  Then it was Monkey socks, followed by Bella's mittens.  Now it is Colour Affection.  I saw it on the Yarn Harlot's blog and I just had to make it.  Had to make it now.

Luckily, as a birthday excursion for that very day, my request was a trip to Jordan to go to Stitch, a lovely yarn and fabric store that I had yet to visit.  Now that I have visited, a return trip is a must.  This is a great little store.  Lovely fabrics and a good selection of yarn.  I reversed some of the positive stash reduction headway I have been making by adding some more fat quarters to my collection.  And this yarn.

After seeing Colour Affection on the YH blog, I immediately hopped over to Ravelry, bought the pattern, popped it into my knitting bag and off we went to Jordan.  I found these three colours, wound them almost as soon as I got home and cast on.  I've been working on the shawl quite a bit since.  And it is still holding my interest.  It is a simple pattern, garter stitch, and yet still addictive.

Other things that happened in Jordan and area:

1.  A lovely lunch at On the Twenty - leek and blue cheese quiche with a nice Cave Spring Pinot Noir
2.  Malivoire Winery
3.  Thirty Bench Winery
4.  Upper Canada Cheese Company
5.  A nap in the car on the way home!

Must get back to the Addiction/Affection.