What kind of 'brain' are you?

Over the years of watching my children develop and watching other people in general. I have come to the conclusion that each of our brains are differently wired. My husband and son 'share the same' brain. For them it's all about how stuff works and why? My daughter is all about colour and design and history (hence the history major).

Take looking at a pink blob hanging on the wall. Some will look at the thing and admire the pinkness, others look at it and think 'that looks just like a butterfly!' and others (like my husband and son) will wonder how the thing is hooked onto the wall.

Knitters are divided the same way, for some it's all about colour, others shape and size and others the techniques used.

Some can look at knitting, take a few minutes to look at the work and then duplicate the pattern stitch by stitch. Yet others need everything written down and work away at it row my row.

None of these brains are better than others they are just 'wired' differently. For some learning to knit takes what seems like an endless time and other can grasp the engineering very quickly. Yes I hate to remind you that some of our best knitting designers are really more mathematical geniuses , because knitting IS math!

Everyone has a skill, and how you embrace your skill is what makes this a great craft. No matter what skills you have everyone that wants to knit can! (Yes there are those that refuse to learn how to knit..imagine that!)

My brain? Some days in this 'change of life time' it's a bit fuzzy; but most of the time I fit into the 'how things work' category and sometimes it's just about the colour and the yarn.

Mostly it's all about the Yarn!

Oh yes..then there is the brain that asks Why? ...we won't go into that philosophical question!

Monday's are for road trips!

I know many of you are disappointed when you arrive at the shop on a Monday only to see "Closed...gone home to knit!". Some Mondays are great days for knitting, but not many. Most recently a Monday was for root canal and the filling that followed a week later. Some Mondays are for Laundry and vacuuming.

Today's Monday adventure took me to Port Perry with milk samples from some ailing cows. Then back home to finish the 'books' for the farm's quarterly GST report.

Speaking of all things dairy cow, did you know that a 'spoon full of sugar', well a pound of sugar a day, will help cows digest a hay crop ruined by rain? (That's a pound a day per cow until that lot of hay is used up! 50 cows times 50 days...man that's a lot of sugar!) If your milk is tasting a little sweeter in the next month, its from our 'sweet' jerseys. Kidding! The sugar will help them digest the hay, making them feel better and when cows are happy they make great milk. No expensive drugs, just a bit of sugar.

Back to the books, the laundry, the vacuuming.....no knitting until it's done!

This just in...

Every week new yarns and patterns are arriving. It's like Christmas (which is 2 months away) when I open the boxes. Sometimes things come and I have forgotten that I ordered it.

These aren't really new, one is a selection of Regia sock yarn done in bright colours intended for kids. I think they are great colours for adults as well. I have been waiting, I think very patiently for another sock yarn and they promised me that its coming next week. They have been holding the shipment because they are missing 2 pattern books.

I finished this top down baby sweater, made with Cabin Fever's Cotton Tweed. It only used 3 balls, but there is enough for another sweater if I add just another ball. Lovely cotton/acrylic blend that is machine washable. I had the hardest time finding the perfect buttons. (I have a great selection of buttons) I ended up with 4 slightly different buttons from my button box.

Working on a few things, but I have finished a few..more about them later.

Have a great weekend, hug your kids.

On the Lamb

My friend Ellen is the proud owner of the yarn shop 'On the Lamb' in Uxbridge. She is a lovely lady, full of life and sparkle. Early this past Sunday morning her son was the young man 'tragically' killed in Toronto. Christopher was a young man full of life and love.

For those of you who have been to her shop I thought you might like to know. Ellen encourages us to: 'go home and hug your kids, for they are only lent to you'.

Think of them at this time....it's just too sad.

Knit a Snowball!

We had a lovely week, despite the weather predictions. Bowmanville's Applefest was alive with shoppers and vendors this past Saturday.

The shop was busy with many new people visiting. Some of the regulars popped in the check out the new things that arrived during the week.



This week's new yarn, if you can call it that, was a new one from Sirdar.
Apparently this yarn was all the rage in Europe last year. One Ball makes a scarf, the only pattern available, creative people will figure out all sorts of ways of using this yarn.

It looks like a string of little pop poms, you knit in the skinny bits.

and you end up with this:
It's a very quick knit, so far Mary and I (mostly Mary) have knit 3 samples. There are 5 colours and only 5 of each. Its one of those things that I will only carry just for a little while,

One of my most constant visitors and knitters brought in this Baby Surprise Jacket made with Berroco Touche. My kind of thing, great colours for a new baby, (love babies...especially in non 'baby' colours)

Lucky Baby!

Reminder of the knitting Sessions, this weeks Circular knitting has yet to have enough interest to make it worth hosting. You will learn the 3 techniques needed to do any 'knitting around'. The completed project is a small baby hat. Last day to register is Thursday.

Next weeks 'fix your mistakes class' requires some homework, so if you are interested please contact the shop to get the information you need.

This week I am expecting a shipment from Briggs and Little, included is the yarn needed to make Thrummed Mitts!

See you soon!

Applefest!

This Saturday is Downtown Bowmanville's annual Applefest. The merchants of Downtown Bowmanville have been hosting this event for many years. It draws vendors and visitors from across the province. The main street is closed to vehicle traffic and tents filled with arts and artisans take over the street.

This is the first year that I will be participating as a shop owner. I have been a vendor at this event and as a member of the staff at the shop 'Gather' up the street. When the weather is nice its a great way to see some wonderful artists and local people doing what they do best. Today's weather forecast says that it will be a chilly but sunny day.

It's time to get out those hats, scarves and mitts. Or better yet come and visit and make some new ones! A new yarn has just arrived! A hint..its the weirdest stuff I have ever 'knitted'!

More about that later,

see you soon

Birthday's

Today is my MOM's birthday. She was born in the late 1930's in a small seaside town in the Netherlands. Which means that she was a young child during the invasion of Holland. She remembers bombings and death as part of everyday life during that time. Life for my Mom has not been very easy. Our family moved to Canada when I was little, (yup came over on the boat!) 3 kids under 4 and not much money. We moved quite a bit until we settled in this area in 1965.



Mom loves to knit! Knits all the time. When things were tough I remember her taking apart some of her lovely sweaters and making 'new' ones for us out of the yarn. She never had a stash of yarn, she used every bit. Mitts were multi coloured, doll clothes out of leftovers. For a few years she did some custom knitting for friends and neighbours. Today she knits prayer shawls and teddy bears; her hands are always busy.



So today is her birthday....Happy Birthday Mom!

Basket Case?

They have arrived..a new selection of Baba Tree Baskets . They actually came into my possession about 2 weeks ago, its taken a while to get them soaked, shaped and dried.

These fair trade (almost) baskets are the last of the shipment that arrived in Canada before the summer, and the next shipment comes again in May of next year. If you are thinking about giving one as a Gift sometime in the next few months, come soon.... Still working on a class schedule, any and all ideas will be carefully considered!

Happy knitting!

Yarn Crawl!

Quilter's do the Shop Hop thing and Knitter's love their Crawls!

Tomorrow, Saturday, Durham's 5 Yarn shops are ready featuring specials at each of their shops for this special event.


On The Lamb
53 Toronto St. N.
Uxbridge, ON
905-852-1944,


Never Enough Wool
16 Water Street
Port Perry ON
905-985-0030


Kniterary
229 Brock St. North,
Whitby, Ontario
(905)668-8368


Myrtle Station Wool &
Ferguson’s Knitting
9585 Baldwin St
Ashburn, Ontario

and of course


Soper Creek Yarn
80 King Street West
Bowmanville, Ontario
(905) 623-2336
http://www.sopercreekyarn.ca/

I have some great scarf yarn at an unbeatable price...$2.00 to $4.95 a ball!
Great way to start your Christmas knitting. (I know...but you will thank me later!)

While you are here downtown Bowmanville has some lovely shopping..great shoe place across the road, wonderful ladies and 'mom' clothes just up the street. Plus a Quilt store..for those fabric fanatics. It will be worth the trip!

See you soon.