Jo Knits!

About school,

My shawl is coming along beautifully, the yarn is a joy to knit, the triangles are fun to see emerge from my knitting. I really like how you 'close' the pyramids, it's something new for me and I'm having a great time knitting this. :)

Last day of our first week at school and you know what? We survived!!! Never got to school late (ok, did I just jinx myself for this morning?), we've been having a lot of fun with the other students in class, the teachers are really nice too. Next week already we have two tests and a visit to a university optic center, this will be very fun and I can't wait!!! :)

The first day we had to present another student next to us and in my hobbies I told the follow student I liked to knit. When she presented me, she told me to show off my pink socks to the whole class, they all thought that was so neat. Now at break and lunch time I am not shy to knit in front of the others, even a student from another program asked me what I was knitting. It really helps me to calm down with the stress of everything new. Just like Terri! ;)

Tomorrow is Canada day aka a holiday so our week ends today, it's good as four days of sitting at school has been tough too. We do a lot of team projects and I am usually a loner. I have learned so much on myself already, it's crazy, fun, exhausting too.

hugs,

1st day of school! ACK!

I tried to take the time to email everyone a big thank you for the lovely comments I have been receiving but it's been taking a lot of time. So gather around knitters and let's have a group hug! THANK YOU!!! Thanks for taking the time to read my lil'old blog, for taking the time to leave me a few words, they give me a boost in my day, they make me smile, thanks for taking the time to show me someone out there cares. I thank you all for your encouraging words with school beginning today, I am a nervous wreck, mostly tossed around instead to peacefully sleeping but by the end of today it will all be worth it. I am off to school with my packed lunch, my notebook and pen and sporting a smile oh and a pair of oh so sweet bittersocks! LOL!

In my bag I also packed in a little new knitting project, sure I will be too stressed to knit a single stitch in the subway. This is like my security blanket, I can reach in my bag and touch the lovely wool/silk yarn and feel at peace. I LOVE Lady Godiva yarn, it's been a drem of mine to knit with this yarn for the past yarn, now I am there, living my dreams. Going to school, knitting lovely yarn, can life get any better? ;)

Have a lovely day 'cause sitting in my little chair next to my new desk, I sure will! :)

2nd Camp Jr Stitches

Welcome to the second edition of Camp Junior Stitches, some of you might remember last year's camp for junior fiber lovers (link 1, link 2). Now that Zoe is off from school for the summer, we had to make the most out of the great weather. Our night was short as the picture of Zoe shows, she was napping and it was barely time for lunch. Right now our junior campers are enjoying some arts & crafts time with finger painting outside. Last night we had fun watching a movie via laptop before bed time, enjoyed floats and had great bbq for supper. I hope we get to repeat this a few times over the summer, sadly tonight we will be sleeping inside as I want to be rested for tomorrow's big 1st day at school.

One sock down and one to go, these will be done for tomorrow, I am so proud. As a last minute decision, I skipped doing ribbing to complete the socks and knitted a garter cuff + modified crenellated bind off (as featured in the Cool Socks Warm Feet book). I'm still not sure about garter stitch toes but might try it for fun on future socks, I just wonder if it makes the socks bukly to wear. Note the sock blocker Carl made me out of an old wire hanger, I saw this in the Stitch 'n Bitch Nation book while being inspired by new patterns to add on my to knit list.

Off to finish the 2nd sock, as I hope to start swatching for another project tonight. teehee! :)

atchoo!

Who gets a cold when it's the hottest day of the summer out? Well me of course, my immune system is mostly all out of whack with the major stress I am under. I stress over nothing, over starting school in less than two days, over silly stuff and it makes me get migraines and this time it's caused me to get a cold. Well not really, I know stress doesn't give you a cold, Lucas does! LOL!

Just like everyone else I enjoy reading the Yarn Harlot's blog, so to find out she has a 2nd book to come out is pretty exciting. Yarn Harlot : The Secret Life of a Knitter is the title and sounds like a fun book. Can't wait to see it hit the book stores, although I haven't bought her 1st book: At Knit's End : Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much, it's on my very long to buy list of books.

I am finally at the ribbing stage of my socks, these WILL be done for monday and hot or not, I am wearing these socks to school on monday! Woohoo!

hugs, have a wonderful weekend!

Happy news, finally!

Well knitters and friends it is my pride and joy that I share with you GREAT news. After being up, then down, stayed down for a few weeks, freaked out about life, had a really hard time coping about being job-less. Both Carl and I are going to school for the next 5 months!!! We have been accepted yesterday and all papers are being finalised today, which includes a WHOLE lot of running around. It's been SO crazy you have no idea. We have gone to meet so many people and actually yesterday was the hardest part. We both had to convince someone that yes, we wanted this course and that please pay for it. Carl's meeting took 10 minutes, my meeting took more than an hour, the person I had to meet talked to her boss for 15 minutes and can back in the office to say she wasn't convinced. Oh my goodness, I thought it was the end for me, my stomach did a turn and I sulked into my chair. Then I did my best to tell her the reasons of me wanting this program and all. Oye! It was VERY scary to be so close, the school had accepted me already and thinking I might not get to start next monday. Argh! Now all is well, I still have one step to get done but it will have to wait until after I start school though.

Imagine that, me, at school! WOW! Last week's tuesday I was reading the newspaper and stumbled across the ad for this new program, this week's tuesday I was in an office on my second part of school registration doing a one-on-one interview to be accepted on the spot. I was really lucky to have gotten my interview with the program coordinator, I had met her twice and she really thought that both Carl and I would be great for this class. Next tuesday I will be attending my second day of school. AMAZING! Never had I thought I'd be going to school so soon, this is really a chance that I couldn't pass up though. It will be tough to be in class all summer but I think to know that I could possibly work in a new trade before Christmas is a very encouraging thing. It is also comforting to be going with a buddy, my pal Carl. We are both stressed about leaving the house on monday morning but luckily we will both support each other along the way, Carl might have to physically support me, I'll be a nervous wreck. LOL!

In LESS than five months I will have learned a new trade, a real job, I will be part of the 1st graduates (hey, I'm aiming to finish this too! ) to complete this new in the whole province program. Actually as an incentive to stay motivated I also have a personal goal to achieve and a great reward to myself but more on that another day... Both Carl and I will become professionals, we will be proud to say our jobs and actually get good jobs in the end. It will be fun, it will be challenging, we will be proud for ourselves, for our kids and for our whole quality of life that will benefit from this. So what IS this all about? Well we are studying to become (very liberal french to english translation) optical/ophthalmic laboratory technicians.

Sadly on the knitting front the BitterSocks (after all the ripping out I did, the color bittersweet isn't all that sweet anymore LOL!) are still not done. MY goal is to finish them and wear the socks to school on the 1st day. teehee!

Have a great weekend, tomorrow is Quebec's 4th of july for theAmercians or August 1st for all other provinces kinda day, it's BBQ's across town, it's beers, it's fireworks at the end of the day holiday. May you all have a beautiful weekend, I need to go get some school supplies! WOOHOO!!!

p/s: If you saw Tom Cruise when he went on Oprah's show, that's exactly how I feel about being accepted in the program. I feel like jumping on chairs, pointing my first in the air, screaming yes, yes, yes and acting all silly but frankly, I'll do all of this in a classy way. LOL!

Yay me!

It's my birthday! We're gonna party like it's my birthday and we will have a happy day! Woohoo! My day started with a breakfast and more than 2 hours of shopping at IKEA! I LOVE Ikea and had a great time, it also gave me the opportunity to see the bunk beds I like for the kids. I bought stuff for myself, for the kids, it was a whole lot of fun and we got to spend some time with a teeny tiny almost 3 months old baby. Awe! My morning was fantastic!!!

Off to have a nice afternoon and evening. :) ~*~Happy Birthday to ME!~*~

Spinning my head around

Two socks on their way to being done! After trying my best to avoid pooling colors, they sorta grew on me and I am accepting the faith of these very cheerful sock. I ADORE toe up socks and truely enjoy knitting two at the same time on this long circular needle. I never did get a chance to read the MagicLoop book. I am sure there's some tips I would gain to know about. I have actually never had the pleasure of taking a knitting lessons/class in a yarn shop and I feel I could learn so much from one. After alienating just about everyone in Toronto though, I doubt I'll be taking one there anytime soon. Truely I just want to fit in, really, it sounds odd but oh well, there's still a spinning wheel there which my heart is set on. Someday, someday even if I don't have the slightest idea on how to spin.

Thursday both Carl and I went for selection tests for school. We did the Raven test and if passed we'd do a little writting test so they could know more about us. Next week is the one on one interview, then IF accepted we get to run to have our registration approved by someone we never met and who will decide if yes or no the province should allow me to study. THEN, we start school the next monday on the 27th of june. ARGH! I am spinning like crazy. So the Raven test went super well, it's about math and logic if you have those aptitudes in you or not, you could say I do as I got the best score at 58/60. Woohoo! I was relieved to have just passed over the 45/60 mark. Carl passed too and surprisingly enough, I got better than him. When we had done a math test for our inventory job, he had gotten a better score than me. Anyway, we both have our interviews on tuesday afternoon, hope to get an answer on wednesday, then thursday run across town to get approved by the province and friday is a holiday in Quebec. There really isn't much time before the course starts, it's crazy. So by thursday I should know for sure if yes or no I start school the next monday.

Went to the unemployment office to get ridiculed... HA! That of course wasn't a too fun experience, how degrading actually... After an hour the girl's head was spinning and couldn't understand why someone would want to work for the company we did. Uh..... well don't you see that if you give me money and the school accepts me I will never have to go back to inventories? Can't you see that a federal member of the government has all that power in it's hands to change my destiny or not. ARGH! She belittled me for not knowing every little aspect about unemployment and how it works, well uh... I am SO sorry lady for being so... so... so ignorant. SHEESH! Now I get to wait for a phone call, explain myself all over again even though no one will ever understand the whole head over heels situation we've been living with the company. Wait to be accepted or not, stress over being accepted or not with school and if I am not knowing yet if I will be able to live while taking the class. WELL, let's just say I'm keeping all my fingers and toes crossed for the next week. It's hard to calm down as in a snap either my whole life changes once again or nothing does at all and then it's back to square one. I REALLY want to go to school NOW, that would be too perfect and by next year and even before that I could have a good job too.

So what am I going to learn? Well it is not a course or job you often see and it's in a lab. Cool hun? Actually it will be the 1st time in my whole province that a program is made up for this specific job, people have been trained on site in the past. Any ideas? Frankly, I'd be jaw-dropping shocked if anyone found what it was.

Think happy thoughts,

After a major meltdown yesterday afternoon, my whole life went and turned upside down and over again. Then I read the paper (I have this weird thing that is that I like to read the classified ads, I used to read them all, now I try to contain myself and read only a few pages). LOL! Today I went to a school that had an ad in that paper, I go back again tomorrow and if all goes well both Carl and I might start school before this very month ENDS!!! If all goes bad well I'll just blog about that. ;)

As some might have noticed, I have been quite down these past few weeks, I haven't worked since april 29, yet I still have troubles with the same employers that were so eager to show me the door. Then the course I have been talking, dreaming, planning to attend next fall turned out to be full until august 2006, I've been thinking about this course for two years. Now was the only time I could get into the class, next year the situation and opportunity just might not permit that. So I was blue, A LOT! I've been having crying, screaming, down spells. We talked about moving so much that I was even looking into getting Zoe to start her 1st grade in another province, in a language she barely knows too. This was all about me (hey it's my blog after all!), I did think of the kids, of Carl, of my mom. All just want to see my happy again, all know how hurt I have been about work, the school being full. We still have dreams of moving somewhere else though but maybe I can hang in this province for a while longer.

Now I am starting to feel hopeful, could this really happen, could happiness knock at our door once again? After getting more information about the said course Carl got excited over it too, it would be really nice to go back to school after a ten year break and have someone to cheer and cheering me on along the way. I think we are both afraid to step foot into a classroom again. Luckily this place is made exactly for people like us. The program coordinator that we met today wanted to register us on the spot but sadly we need to go through the whole learn more about the job, do some test, get the individual interview and have ourselves accepted process to get into the program. The good thing is that the coordinator seemed to love us and she's the one doing the interviews, she also said she'd make sure we do everything to get into the course. I'm happy, I'm hoping it'll work!

So if it's morning when you read this, mind to have a good thought or two for two people that hope to change to course of their lives to make it better? In a matter of months we would learn a new trade, get on the job practice and hopefully find a job asap, chances are really good, they created the program as there is a big void in this job right now.

Oh please, please, Puh-LEASE make this work!!! :)

Now see that? See how close it is until I get older, teehee! Weeee! I love my birthday, always had, it isn't as exciting on the gifts part as I get older but I still love getting birthday cake. LOL! Nothing makes it more birthday than buttercream frosting though I might surprise everyone and try out ice cream cake this year, though I could wait and get that for the next birthday in line, right mom? ;) When it's someone's birthday in the house I sing them happy birthday all day long, the kids got used to it, I'm quirky they love it!

Too excited to knit, will post about it another day.

Rollercoasters,

This morning I woke up from a nightmare. A mom's most scary event probably, to loose a child. I had lost Zoe and she could not be found. I was so afraid, couldn't think straight and she was alone for a less than a minute. Oye! I woke up so badly but fortunate that Carl woke me up just at that time. I had splet in but once I got up I felt like I didn't sleep at all. Then while reading emails I learn that Third Watch is now over. The show won't be coming back in the fall. Well by the time I had my coffee I was doubting this would be a good day. We did end up going to the library and I borrowed a Barbara G Walker stitch pattern book, it's the 1st time I get to check one out so it's fun. Also found a book about spinning so will be learning more about that. We found a wheel like what I want and got a reduction on it, now all I need is to travel to get it. LOL!

These are the latest work in progress, I started them and then decided the try a few slip stitch pattern out to see if I could avoid pooling. It didn't look nice so I ripped it all back to my lifeline right after the toe shaping. I tried out something else and I am getting even more pooling than if I didn't try to avoid it. LOL! Looking online I remembered the Crusoe pattern from Knitty, that too didn't work well on the socks. I could always just rip back to the toes, take out four stitches and the whole thing might look better from a different stitch count. Now know that I usually give up pretty quickly on projects when they piss me off. LOL! This time is different, Lorna's Laces sock yarn is SO delightful to work with, it makes up from having me rip it up twice. I can only imagine how a worsted must feel. Yum!

Here's a close up of the stitch 'pattern' I am using, it's little purl bumps done one stitch away from the previous one on each row. LOL! Very fancy name, hun? I really wish I could come up with a non-pooling way to knit these socks, the toes look really nice, I would love for the whole socks to be like that. I do whoever LOVE the Lorna's Laces yarn and need to stock up solid colors. I just received the 2005 Knitting Pattern-A-Day calender and there are quite a few patterns that I want to knit. Of course, I have to convert them to toe up and non-short row versions but hey, I can always blog about it if I'm having trouble! ;)

Someone got a haircut recently and he sure likes to get spikey hair. Oh the pleasures of gel when you are 4! :) You'll notice his rather large forehead, he gets that from me, I also have a loooong neck, I am so odd. LOL! It's been HOT and humid around here and the air is just icky right now, it feels sticky to stay outside. Ugh! Luckily rain is in the forecast for a few days, I LOVE the rain. :)

p/s: I'm looking for someone to possibly install Word Press for me. If you can do so and charge affordably, click the Contact button at the very top of the page under the pears. Thanks, :)

Have a fun-i-the-sun weekend!
hugs,

All spinned out

Ever feel life is spinning out of control, you can see it just going in spirals, over and over and ... Well, guess what!? That's just how I feel about our lives right now. We've been trying to make things happen but right now all is just crashing instead of flying, nothing we hoped for is going our way. We keep dreaming though and hope for some brighter future, eventually it will happen right? Oh well, maybe tomorrow.

So here I am thinking about spinning, I mean, what better time to start looking into that then when life is spinning all around you after all? LOL! Yeah, it's a concept, spinning life, spinning wheel, might even go out for a spin on my bike later on too. Although spinning is really all about me wanting to try it out, Carl is encouraging as he is pretty curious about it too. He, of course, would "get" it before I do, he always understands stuff quicker and better than I do, it's SO aggravating but hey, he's a smartie! ;) Sadly 'real life' keeps me in reality and quite frankly I am thinking bunk beds are more important than a spinning wheel at the moment. Anyone ever owned bunk beds as a child? I saw a sturdy wooden model that I'm really liking, you can also split them to make two single beds instead. These are obviously for the kids, Carl and I aren't into climbing a ladder to go to bed each night! :-P

The kids are doing well, they are happy, it's been great outside and we've been making the best of our bbq, even during the power outage on thursday. We also got the see Zoe's school show, each grade did a musical number and a song, she was SO proud to see us. We did however do something fun yesterday, to congratulate Zoe on a deal we made that latest the whole week, we all went to ice skate. It was GRRRREAT to be in a cool space where humidity and heat wasn't hitting us. I did however for a minute only, made my best impression of superman when one of the teeth of my skate hit the ice at the wrong moment and had me flying flat on my stomach in front of a dozen or so college boys looking into the ice. Ever had an Ally McBeal moment that you just wished you could back up and erase. I got back up of my skates as best as I could and slowly skated to the outside of the ice. Apparently Carl saw me flying but didn't realized I may be hurt until he saw the scrapes on my arms. OYE! The ice felt like sandpaper when I oh-so-gracefully landed on it. I got seated and iced my bruises for a while before we left. Zoe was SO happy on the ice, she had great fun just skating freely as she wanted. She has been talking about quitting skating lessons ever since her spring lessons stopped. She is tired of having others tell her what to do, hey, I am too most of the time. ;) Skating was always fun for her and I am happy that she is confident enough to tell us how she feels. I'd be really bummed if she didn't and felt pressured to keep on skating for our pleasure. The main thing for her is fun, if it ain't we might choose a new sport or activity for next fall. :) Both kids are into tap dancing these days and god knows we have enough hard wood floors for them to practice throughout the house. LOL!

Who says little boys can't have a poncho? I got a special request from my own 4-year-old for one, I thought up of something that could end up pretty cool for him too. I could knit him a "cape" aka Harlot poncho but then add a Superman-like logo smack in the middle of the front for him. He'd become the latest superhero saving the world from who knows what. Since we are getting 81 degrees weather though, I can't say that I have been knitting much. Hopefully as I felt his little clogs he will think about something else for me to knit him. ;)

hugs,
Jo~ still on recovery break.