I love being spoiled!

Look what the nice postman bought me today:

I was totally blown away when I opened it. I LOVE Three Irish Girls yarn. I have been drooling over their yarns and colourway for so long but can't seem to bring myself to indulge. My secret pal sure knows how to read my mind! I can't wait to cast on something for Aliana. I am picturing a bolero with a solid trimming. The angel is so adorable and she's perfected for my tree.

Thank you Secret Pal - I can't wait to find out who you are.


I am making quite a headway on Max's Fair Isle Sweater. This is my first colour strand knitting so I am quite nervous. So far so good.

Now the bad news is - I only have two skeins left and still have two arms to do. This yarn is Shepherd Colour 4 Me which I got from Coat and Clark Sale. It was $7 for a bag for this wool. A complete bargain. The downside? It's damn hard to get!!!! No one seems to carry them.

At this point I am not even worry about the dyelot, I just need to locate 1 more skeins.

I was ableto find an online store that has it. It's only about $3 but it's in Australia. The shipping is going to $15! I think I like being in Denial mode more than Panic Mode.

Holy Snowstorm Batman!

My little boy was quite sick last night. He was muttering something in his sleep and when I went to check on him, he was running a temperature of 104 F. So of course I strip him down and he moved into my bed to watch cartoon (at 3am).

All day yesterday and all night last night, a snow blizzard had hit our area and I woke up to find this:

That is a shot of our garage. Once Arison saw the snow, miraculously his fever is gone. Who needs FDA-approved drug when a good, old fashion snow storm can cure all illness?

What a great day to cocoon myself inside and knit (while hubby is out there fighting with the snow blower). Hot chocolate, anyone?

A Natural Libra

Being born under the astrological sign Libra has it's many advantage. We make friends easily and we are always the one that people turn to when they need a logical advise. In other aspect, us Librans are also horribly indecisive. Our sign symbols is the balance scale. We naturally seek all side and options before making a decision. This trait can be really be useful in a court of law, but it can also be a curse in any grocery store, mall, lys or anything that involve buying something over another. I normally find myself so indecisive about the most trivial things that it even drives myself crazy.

For example, Aliana had a class show today and I had volunteered to bring cupcakes to her class. I think her Kindergarten teacher used mind control method to get me to agree to it. I found myself in the baking aisle at the grocery store contemplating whether I should use Chocolate Icing with Snowflakes sprinkles, or buttercream with rainbow sprinkles, or chocolate sprinkles with Vanilla frosting. I mean.... come on...... these were just cupcakes for a room full of 4 years old who are going to shove it into their mouth without a second thought anyway. Sometime I even amaze myself
I decided to make both because I am incapable to make a decision. My life motto is: When in doubt, buy all the options. Maybe this is why my yarn stash is completely out of control?

Knittings at the Bookstore

I have a fondness for books and I have a fondness for knitting. When I am able to combine two of my passions together, I get a bit giddy. While browsing along my local Indigo Book Store, I came across these two things:

traveling organiser for toiletries. The pouches detached. How perfect is it for a knitting tool organizer? I mean, even the tassel resembled a ball of yarn.

At 30% off, I scored it for $16 CAD. Another little gadget is this book light

I can clip this to my shirt and knit during a movie. We have a projector and my hubby insist that everything be completely dark when a movie is playing. Now I can continue to knit this sweater for him. It's my first Fair Isle and it's knitted from the top down. I must confess, for one to really enjoy the Fair Isle process, one must enjoy a few glasses of wine before starting. It really helps mellow you out. Especially when you get an urge to throw this thing across the room because you're off by one stinking stitch and you've already frogged 5 times.

While I was cursing through out last night, it started to snow. It snowed the whole night and I woke up to find this:.......so I decided to bake these:

Now please excuse me but a cup of coffee and buttery croissants are calling me.

too much x-mas cheers?

All weekend long, my family and I participated in X-mas activities. Starting with making ginger bread house at 10 am on Saturday morningI did most of the decorating and Aliana mostly sat there and snuck candies into her mouth. Our family is living proof that a cranky 4 years old and artificial-flavoured candies does not mix well first thing in the morning. What was I smoking when I signed us up for that so early in the morning?

Later on that day, we celebrated Christmas at my Mother in-law's house. She will be "missing" Christmas this year because she will soon be leaving to an all-inclusive resort in Dominican Republic for two weeks during the Holidays. Yeah, we all feel really bad for her. The kids went frenzy with opening presents and I ate myself into a comatose state. Who knew that 10 lbs would come early this year?

On Sunday, we attended hubby's X-mas party for the kids and both kids met Santa

After the kids were pumped full of cotton candies, candy cane and assorted junked food. It was time to go home.

Meanwhile, I am complete smitten with this pattern and yarn. I am knitting Nutkin with Malabrigo Socks in Velvet Grapes. I can't seem to put it down. The yarn is super soft and the pattern is easy to memorize. This will be my first socks using the Short Row Heel. Hopefully, it'll fit a human foot!

Old St. Nick

Being married to a Romanian definitely has its perks. For one thing, my Mother in-law's cooking will make any Chef on the Food Network cry. Her Dips, cabbage rolls, and desserts are yummy enough to be publish. Also, Eastern Europeans are famous for their DIY abilities. My husband had renovated 2 of the bathrooms, kitchen and recently build a stone fireplace in the basement. All with the help of Home Depot and his own personal ingenuity.

Along with his other great qualities, he also bring several traditions that I have adopted. One of the cutest tradition is celebrating St. Nicholas. Apparently, in European culture, St. Nicholas day is celebrated on the eve of December 6th. Children will polish their boots and leave them out next to the front door. In the morning, they will find small goodies that St. Nick had left for them in their boots.

This tradition is very similar to our Santa Clause leaving treats and small goodies in our stockings during Christmas. I think the efficiency traits of N. Americans just merged St. Nick and Jesus Christ's birthday together into one holiday and called it a day. My husband told me that when he was a kid, he will look forward to this day all year and take great care in cleaning his boot in anticipation for St. Nick. Then 3 weeks later, they will celebrate Christmas as it was intended (a religious holiday filled with gifts, families and a feast).

Well, on the night of the December 5th, I ran out to the local drug store in a panic and filled the boots up. Almost $100 later, I got what I need. Who said that this day was cheap?

I also finished decorating my tree. The kids "helped". They each took two ornaments, fought over it, "I'm going to tell mommy" twice, got bored and then promptly sat on the couch watching Dora while I finished the rest. Aaahhhhh... the holidays are finally here.

Housework be damned

I've always convinced myself that the reason my house is such a pig's sty is because hubby and I both have demanding careers and 2 young kids. I mean, between commutting, whiney bosses, impossible clients and 2 kids under school age, who can keep up right? Housework tends to be the least important thing on my "to do list". I figure that clothing, feeding and sheltering your kids while resisting the urge to drop them off at the nearest orphanage is a great accomplishment.

During the first week off, I cleaned the house. Everything was Pledged, Swifted and Febreezed. I vowed to myself that I will never let this house succumb to dirt ever again. Then.....came the 2nd and 3rd week........ I sat on my ass and knit all day. My once clean and polished house reverted back to it's own state faster than you can say Mr. Clean. As it turns out, my kids and job was not the cause of my untidiness. It's me and my knitting. Well, to be completely honest, probably just me.

Next Monday I start my new job. Turns out that I am sadistic enough to go back to my same position but just in another different hotels. All I ever want is to own a cute little yarn shop with a kick-ass coffee bar in the middle of it. I guess I would have to put that dream on hold since that doesn't pay the bills. Yet.

In the last 2 days I was able to finish my hubby's bulky sweater. It is knitted from Rowan Big Wool in Aster and the pattern is from Lionbrand.

This was suppose to be a Christmas Sweater for him but I gave it to him now because

A) I want to see him try it on

B) I can't block it without him stumbling onto it eventually

and C) for the last weeks, he heard be bitched every time I lost my cable needle knitting this thing.

I also finished Arison's socks. It's knitted from Paton Kroy:

I think it's time to knit myself a little something.