Wonderful Weekend!

Well, who could have imagined what a great weekend we had. My sister Kim and my Aunt's put together a BBQ celebration for Harold and I as a sort of casual after the fact wedding reception. I couldn't believe it when I walked in. So much work they had put into everything. I only regret that I left the camera in the car because I forgot it, then when I remembered there was a crazy storm....and so...I hope someone can share their pictures with us. The decorations where beautiful, and it was so cool to see everyones wedding pictures (OK, another regret...I really wanted to scan and print those wedding photos and put them in a scrapbook, but the day was so exciting that I didn't follow through...doh! hopefully I can contact people for a copy of a photo...it was still uber cool to see them all!)

The food!!! Omigosh! So good, and oh so much of it...mmmmm tasty chicken...and you should have had the cheesecake.....ha! I had three! and there's still some in my fridge...they won't last long let me tell you :-P

The day BBQ was followed by more fun at Aunt Karen and Uncle Ed's house...we didn't want to leave...and so didn't until very very very late...which is why we were so ridiculously tired the next day for diving...but...nothing new there...we rarely sleep enough before a dive...horrible I know!

Our wonderful weekend was completed on Saturday with a diving trip on Uncle Ralph and Aunt Lois-Annes boat. We dove the Vickory (sp?) and the Keystorm. I was far too stinking hot on the first dive to really enjoy it much, I used to being too cold when diving,,,never have I been so completely roasting for an entire dive before.

So the second dive on the Keystorm, I wore much less, and had a fabulous dive...that rec is like a playground, I could spend forever swimming around that thing! I'm so glad Uncle Ralph showed me the massive gash in the side of the hull where it ran into the shoals, it was HUGE, and now seems to be the hole for many a fish to linger.

Another totally cool feature I never would have found on my own, this little cave type thing in the side (I have no idea what to actually call it...or what it's purpose was on the ship...I was mesmorized by the coolness), you can sort of duck inside it and stick your head up, and there is about a foot and a half of air trapped in it....you have this little pocket of completely dry air space...and the sound in there was amazing. It was a really neat experience to hear the sound of the creeking metal and such, without it being dampened out by the water. That is a diving first for me, and very cool I must say!

Here's a great pic of Aunt Lois-Anne on the Myrtle Mae IIand Uncle Ralph

Here's Harold pretending to drive

And me ACTUALLY driving...whew!....no crashes

Alrightly...and on a completely different note, here's what I've done on the bag liner

I'm loving how this is turning out...it almost makes me want to make the inside the outside...almost...and everybody said that liner didn't matter because no one is going to see it...Audrey will! and I will know.... :-)

Yup, I felted it!

Well....do you remember the Sophie bag...last time I had it knit... but not felted...Here's the picture of it before

Today I worked at home..so I had some time to throw it in and try the felting. I was kindof nervous..but I think it turned out great..I'm so happy with it!





There's a pic from right after it came out of the washer (three cycles hot cycle, cold rinse)

And below, is the finished bag being blocked (I still have to make the liner), and a close up of what the felting looks like now.....I like it...Harold said he's very impressed..and couldn't believe I made it...oh how I love his praise..hehe)

Bag done too!

I can't believe I knit the whole thing on the weekend...I'm soooo happy!
I think it turned out pretty nice....I think I'll throw it in the wash to felt this Wed. when I'm back in London (with the washing machine).

I can't really decide which fabric to use for the liner...the blue and green are a little closer in colour...but I'm afaid it might make the bag look too summer only....the beige and blue is a little more muted...but I'm not sure...I'm so torn...what will I do?!!?
Yep...I'm crazy...oh well

And then there were two!

Sock number one...finally finished

..but then I went to the yarn shop in Guelph...they were finally open!
And I saw some beautiful yarn there...(that I didn't buy..but I can't get it out of my head!)
I did buy this bluey greeny stuff for Audrey's Sophie bag (Julie Anderson - Black Sheep Bags)

Sooooo...I just wanted to quit the socks...and start on the bag...it was killing me...but I resisted...and finished the socks first.... Joel's socks are done done done! Yeah!

I had to rip the first one out about half way...because it was turning out to be about 12 inches long! But...now I think they are a good size...I hope.

Ha!, So...I finished the cuff on the 2nd sock last night...wove in the ends...and then cast on for the bag!....Here's a pretty picture of my yarn.. and what I have done so far on the bag...I really hope it works out...since I've never felted anything before...I'm kinda nervous. (I wasn't sure about it at first...but the more I see it...the more I really love the colour...it looks fabulous with the brown shirt and beige pants I was wearing yesterday...which makes me think it will be a good purse accent colour)

I can't wait to see how it all turns out!

Back from Toby, and oh it was good!

Well, we're back from Tobermory.
It was WONDERFUL! The diving was great...(meaning that I finally got my gear stuff figured out more than that we saw cool stuff...which we did...but it wasn't anything new...the wonderful part was definitely the gear!) Have I mentioned that I love my new tanks! I really should have taken a picture of them...they really are very pretty...and just wonderful in the water...and without that pesky wedge weight they are so much lighter....almost like a feather I dare say!

Anyways, I did take some knitting to do in the truck...I made two dishcloths...I know...boring...but...don't mock...knit dishcloths rock.

Here's a lovely pick of the above mentioned dishcloths

While on this lovely and relaxing trip, I was thinking (not too hard...just enough to maintain life really), and I thought that it would be really funny for me to knit Joel socks for a wedding present...since he used to always ask for them, and I did start a pair a few times, but never finished any....poor Joel...all that time in Saskatoon and no warm socks....and now..that he's back in Windsor...he probably doesn't even want them...too bad...getting them anyways! That is if I finish them on time...

So, I really wanted to make some socks from the toe up...because I've never done that...and the one pair of socks that I did complete (too small for Joel, oops) were from the cuff down...and the grafting at the end was most traumatizing! I went online and found this sock tutorial, called Cybersock (you can google it..it's wonderful) and they have instructions for all these different types of socks...and they have the toe up kind! It's not a pattern though...she shows you how to figure it out as you go...without a pattern...how cool is that...I've always wanted to be able to knit without a pattern...but...I just can't do it....So...I took the leap with the sock!

Here's the beginning of my sock..being knit from the toe up..with no pesky seem at your toes

And now ...a little futher on...still looking good

And so I was kindof unsure of where to start the increases for the ankle, this picture (below) has a few rows of the increases done

Now that's done, time to work on the heel

Now...the heel, ack! What a pain! I tried the square version, perhaps it's beyond me, I don't know...it is working out finally, but now, methinks the sock is far too big. The picture below with me twisting the toe shows how much extra room there is. Joel's feet are bigger than mine (he IS a boy) but I don't think they're THAT much bigger!

I don't know...I'm going to keep doing the heel as is...pretty much just to see how it works out, but I'm almost positive that I'll have to rip it out, and make the body of the sock at least an inch shorter....DOH! everything was going so well!
What can you do....only question is...should I just go ahead and rip away...or wait till I can try the sock on Harold my man sock model before I frog away all that knitting....and this is my dilemma.

Oh ya, and since the wedding is soon soon soon (August 5th), all other knitting projects have been put on hold until further notice...I also want to make the Sophie bag (Julie Anderson on Magknits website) for Audrey...I hope I have time...I've never done anything like that before...so I hope it works out too! (better than the socks so far I mean) :-D

Off to Tobermory

It's a long long way to Tobermory,
it's a long way to go,
it's a long long way to Tobermory,
to the sweetest....
oh darnit...that's Tipperary! ha!
I'm changing it...it should be Tobermory

Clearly I'm far to sleepy to be typing...or awake, I need much more sleep than this! Three nights in a row I've gotten only about 6 hours, I know, I know, thats the most sleep many people ever get...but for me...this spells migraine...I can already feel it starting...migraines suck!
It seems that everytime we go to go diving I'm always sleep deprived and it just sucks the enjoyment out of it...oh well...perhaps I'll feel better after Tim Hortin's ohhh my friend Tim...he makes goooood coffee.

I really want to take my sweater in the car with me...but...I'm opting for some dishcloth cotton and one set of needles instead..I'm making a set of yellow dishcloths for a friend. I just haven't decided if I'm going to knit them all, and all the same to match, or if I'm going to crochet some, and do different knitting patterns...so that the set will all be different...but tied together by uniform colour...hmmm the possibilites :-) I'll decide in the truck. If I don't fall asleep that is.

Knitting in two cities

Well, I guess Guelph is bareable...as long as I have something cool to knit when I have to stay over night....all alone :-(

And so the last two nights that I've been in Guelph I started knitting my lacy little tank from Lana Knits, it's 100% hemp! I've been waiting to try this stuff for sooooo long. So I bought the pattern and enough to make the medium (which I hope fits, I noticed that it said finished chest measurement is 36", but that's my actual body measurement....but I don't have enough hemp to make the next size up...so I'm going to give it a whirl anyways.

Here's a picture of my hemp...I just have to roll it into a ball as I am not knitty enough to have a ball winder...truthfully...I've never actually seen one in real life...and I have no idea how they work! Anyways...isn't it pretty...feels kindof stiff...but I've already noticed how much it has softened up just by winding it on the ball and working with a little bit...I love the colour!

And here's how much I have done

And a little close up of the lacy pattern, I have messed it up on almost every lace row, I'm just hoping that it somehow still turns out, apparently I really can't watch TV and knit anything that requires memory. Oh well, I'm tired of un-knitting entire rows to get back to the stich that I messed up...if it's imperfect FINE! So am I!

So, this is my official Guelph knitting project..I can just leave it there...and not bother carting a million bags back and forth every week. And while I'm in London, I can keep working on finishing my red silk/cotton rowan sweater "chamomile" that Harold bought the yarn and pattern book for me....not this past Christmas...but the one before that...ack...it was our first Christmas together...and was absolutely wonderful. I had NEVER had nice yarn before...I'd only ever had acrylic or cotton...the stuff you can get at Walmart or Zellers. Doh! now I'm hooked on the good stuff...knitting with the good stuff...is oh sooo gooood.

LONDON KNITTING!

Here is the half-done back of my London sweater, I love knitting with this stuff so much..that I don't even mind that I've had to knit the front multiple times!

And here are my two fronts....enjoy them now...because the ripping will soon begin!

Why you ask? (even though you are me...because I'm probably the only one who will ever read my ramblings...will I even read them..who knows!)
Anyways.. I knit the front (right when I got the stuff....it's not been stashed..I meerly needed a break..for sanity) anyways...I knit the front in size medium...and even though my swatch was perfect..when I knit the sweater ...my medium turned out to be small, so then I knit the large thinking it would turn out medium, but it just so happens that at the same time I had been reading about why people knit too tightly and how to stop doing this....it worked...too well, so my large turned out extra large! ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
So...I decided to forget the front...after a six month (or 12...whatever) break...I started the back...in medium, and low and behold..it's turning out to be exactly the size it's supposed to be....so....now I have to rip out both fronts...and redo them....my only problem now is that in instructions for the back you are supposed to knit the lenght to match the front...so..I'm going to have to put what I have done on the back on some holders and redo the front...then when the front is done..assuming that it might actually work out someday...then I can pick up the back again and finish it....after that...who knows.....maybe even a sleeve!

Booooooo Guelph!

Yeppers....I'm in Guelph again....oh how I love working from home in London, but...lab work can not be done in ones living room unfortunately,...although...it is much like cooking...perhaps I'll try the kitchen!

I keep wavering back and forth between trying to learn the immunology, trying to write the literature review (already knowing the immunology would make this much easier..*sigh*), and just plugging away at the lab work. I keep pulling myself in all the different directions...and I really need to just focus on one thing. Apparently focus is not one of my strong points.

So, I gave Harold's mom my deep red cable sweater that I finally finished. When I pulled it out to start working on it again I was planning on giving it to her for Christmas...yes...I know...it's July...have I mentioned that I lack focus (I knit sloooowwwww too!) I think it fits her perfectly, and she looks really good it reds, so, I hope she likes it. I absolutely love the one that she knit and gave to me, in the winter I think I would wear it everyday if people wouldn't stare...and there is that pesky problem of the perfume one would acquire by wearing the same sweater for 110 days.

Sooooo, this weekend it's off to Tobermory for some diving! Don't we look cute in our matching drysuits....and look at those 95's ohhhh sooooo nice to dive, but alas, they are back at home with their rightful owner.



I do have my very own shiny new 95's all nice and galvanized...sooo pretty. On paper they have the exact same bouyancy characteristics as the scubapros, but I tell ya...they just don't feel the same! I know, I just have to get used to them, and hopefully this weekend will help me to do just that. Must fix gear issues...must not suck with the diving!



These are all pictures that Lee took when we went to Toby last year...mmm crayfish are yummy, always good for an underwater snack.

On another good note - I hope - I think I might finally be able to really change my last name to Robson soon. Imagine that, actually having your real married name on some of your identification...what a novel concept! Hopefully this marriage certificate translation thing will work out, and hopefully that will be what the "official" people need in order to change my name eg. drivers license, health card (although I'm peeved that I have to give up my old red and white no-picture card), and maybe I can even get my degree to have my new name on it when I graduate....I have at least a year before that will happen...but...I just keep telling myself that it will go fast.

Weddingmoon

The wedding... April 12, 2006 in Cayo Coco Cuba

Our first married kiss...

Our first married dance....neither of us can really dance...what a long...long...long song, and no one else would come and dance with us....luckily...just near the end the rain started pouring down, so we all ran. It was actually the perfect ending....since none of us knew what to do next...and there ends the "formal" part of the wedding day

Picture taking time....the sun was back...fight the squint...fight the squint!

Here are all our squinty guests/wedding party/witnesses...
Lisa Lo, Melissa Lauzon, Sharon Robson, Me, Harold, Stephen Robson, Ken Taylor, Jesse Liem
Now how perfect is that!


And away we go for our carriage ride...

End of the evening...Harold wanted just one more picture
See...those are mom's pearls!

Well,

I just had to put up a wedding photo or two

What do you mean....follow though?!?

Well, I clearly don't follow through on many things!
I thought when I started this...shortly after our wedding, that it would be a great way for people to see some of our wedding photos....but...I was wrong....but now we have a lovely online photo album for those who wish to see it.....(if I knew the link...I would paste it below...but...since I don't...I won't!).

Weddingmoon Photo Album - ain't it magic how suddenly links can appear, weeks later even!

So, instead of this being a wedding thingy....I've decided that it will be my own personal blog....on whatever the heck I feel like rambling about on any particular day...and plus...I've seen a lot of other peoples knitting blogs lately as I've been looking for patterns to knit.....sooooooo...I might just start with that sort of thing! My first finished knitting picture can be my booties!


Uh0oh.. I almost forgot about Bubby bear....I finished him first....(got the pattern from the www.knitty.com website...I LOVE that place.. I repeat...LOVE IT!!!)
Anyways....my bubby bear didn't turn out quite as cute as the one from the pattern...but...it's my first bubby....my hubby (hehe) Harold is holding bubby...he thinks that its the fault of the yarn colouring....and that's why my bubby isn't as cute....I think I should make one out of all the leftover yarn I have...then I can string them up like a mobile for baby.....(no...not my baby...no babies here...not yet!!!!)


See....that's my sweetums (:-P) ain't he cute....now...am I talking about the bear....or the man

I just finished a sweater too, I started it about 4 years ago...and had everything done but the sleeves...of course...I moved again...and it got stuffed into a box...never to be found...until yet another few moves...and ta-da....it was found...so...it officially took me something like 4 or 5 years to knit the most simple sweater ever! But now it's done...and I love it... I don't have a picture of it yet....but I'm gonna post one...oh yes I will...



Oh look, here it is....like magic...oh how I love digital cameras. I finally broke down and bought one 3 days before we left for Cuba...I have not regretted it for one minute...by the way...next time I'll clean the toothpaste off the mirror before I take the photo....ummmm...yah...


Hey...I gotta figure out how to organize this stuff better...and also...how to put little figure legends under all the pictures....eg Fig.1 Finished booties...from Grandma Telfords pattern that she taught me when I was about 6 and it took me literally hours to figure out how to sew them together on Sunday ack!