february twenty-one

Jamie and I are nuts and do the Costco thing on Saturday mornings. If we go before noon, it's not so bad. Yes, there are crazies who don't know how to drive their shopping carts, but we usually find decent parking and end up in the fastest checkout lines. Today we picked up this gorgeous new scale. I love it. It reads in .2 increments and is way more accurate than our old scale that would give three different readings each three times in a row you'd get on it. Lifetime warranty my arse! I'm going to bring this scale with me to the nutritonist the next time I go and see how it compares.

This week I've managed to knock off 2 more squares on my blanket. Since I'm using 2.0mm needles (US0), each square takes me about 2 hours to knit. The three squares I did this week are the green/orange/blue one on the left hand side, the purple/pink/grey one in the middle and above that one, the pink & black & white one. I am loving this project, too bad it takes forever!

I also decided that I was sick of my ugly keychain. Time to give it a bit of an uplift. My habs hockey puck no longer sported our logo, and there was keyrings on there that had nothing on it anymore.

I'd been getting new keychains lately, so I finally sat down and gave it an uplift. I got a new habs logo, added a Needle Gauge pendant, kept some of the old stuff, and got an "r" initial. I love it, and it looks nice and clean on ONE ring. And the one big ring is this flexible wire material stuff, which is great. I just hope it's not that heavy. I guess I will find out soon!

This evening I kind of just vegged out on the couch all evening. I got a bit of knitting done, as well as some beading for stitch markers. Jamie played hooky from hockey tonight (he plays for fun) and we caught up on the end of season 1 of Damages. Now we must catch up on Season 2. Eventually we'll get there!

Hoping the weather isn't so bad tomorrow, it's supposed to be mild. I'd love to take Sean skating at the park down the street from us. Though, only if it's warm enough. I don't want anyone to get sick and we'd all have to go. Mack would have to sit on the side with one of us, or something. But I got Sean skates (cheese cutters), he got them as a holiday gift, and he hasn't used them yet. I guess we'll have to see how the weather is tomorrow.

february seventeen :: 8 months old/ 35 weeks old

Mack is 8 months old today, which happens to also be his 35th week today as well.

In the 8th month, your child should be able to...
- Bear some weight on legs when held upright (CHECK)
- Feed self a cracker (He ate a Mum Cookie so CHECK)
- Pass a cube or other object from one hand to the other (CHECK)
- Rake a raisin and pick it up in fist (I've seen them go after Sean's Goldfish crumbs, so CHECK)
- Turn in the direction of a voice (CHECK)
- Look for a dropped object (CHECK)

... will probably be able to....
- Stand holding on to someone or something (CHECK)
- Object if you try to take a toy away (OH YES...CHECK)
- Work to get a toy out of reach (CHECK and always succeeds)
- Play Peekaboo (Likes it when we play it, doesn't do it himself yet)
- Get into a sitting position from stomach (CHECK) (Reminder, lower crib by weekend)

... may possibly be able to...
- Pull up to standing position from sitting (Not yet)
- Pick up tiny object with any part of thumb and finger (Seen him do it Check!)
- Say mama or dada indiscriminately (He just said MAMA for the first time today! And Dada has been for a while now. Why is it always DADA first?)

... may even be able to...
- Play Patty-Cake (clap hands) or wave bye-bye (Not yet)
- Walk holding on to furniture (thank heavens not yet!)
- Stand alone momentarily (not yet)
- Understand the world NO (but not always obey it) (Not yet)

He still fits perfectly in the sink. Though, he's almost figured out how to turn on the tap... so to avoid that mess, I won't be putting him in there again!


I received my copy of HandKnit Heroes in the mail today. I really ordered it for the POW pattern in it, it's the only place right now that pattern is available. (Though, it's probably a pattern I could have figured out on my own, looking at it), but I also wanted to check out the comic. I've never really been into comics (unless you count Archie). I'll let you know how this one is. (Whenever it is that I find the time to read it).

In knitting news, there has been progress on my step-mother-in-law's vest. In due time. I don't really have a deadline to finish it, so I'm slowly working on it. (Though, I should get my arse moving on Mack's Moss Block Cardigan, or he won't fit into it.... Oops.)

I have been working on the Blanket Project. I switched over to circulars though, the 2.0mm ones I sell in my shop, and I absolutely LOVE them. They're so super smooth, and great to use. I really do recommend them if you haven't check them out yet.

Yesterday when I was at the post office, this lady saw the amount of parcels that I was mailing and started asking me questions. She first asked if I sold on ebay, I told her no. She then asked me what I sold online, and I told her yarn and knitting accessories. She took it that I sold knitted items, and asked me what items I knit that I sold. I kept telling her that I sold knitting items, and she kept asking me if I'd make her cozies for her tables & chair feet so they wouldn't scratch her floor and if I'd knit her dishcloths. Anyhow, she even told me she'd pay me, but I honestly don't have the time to do so. Then she asked me about my website, and how I built it. She asked me if she paid me, could I design one for her. I told her I didn't do the shopping cart myself for my site, I'm not a web programmer, but I bought a shopping cart software and it's super easy to use. She told me she sold furniture and wanted to sell it online (I kept thinking in my head, good luck with getting people to pay for shipping on furniture!) Anyhow, she asked if she had any questions about the shopping cart software (I gave her the site I bought it from) if she could call me. Without thinking, I said sure, no problem. I gave her my cell number. (Today I'm glad I didn't have any more business cards left on me, so she doesn't know who I am).

Because, today, she called me 13 times, and left me 3 messages. All times, her number showed up as Restricted. Though, she left me those 3 messages, with her name & phone number, to call her back. In the 2nd and 3rd message she said I didn't call her back, so to please call her.

Oh my...

She saw that I had a baby with me at the post office yesterday (I had Mack with me) and didn't she think that maybe I was busy?? And that I'd call her back when I had the chance to? I got her first message... and now that she called that many times and has left that many messages, I don't think I'll be calling her back. Sounds a little coocoo to me...

Tonight was just a chill night at home, catching up on Chuck and Damages with Jamie, while knitting on the couch. Ah, a nice relaxing evening once the kids went to bed!

february twelve

So I've been waiting for a shipment of yarn to come in the mail before giving a review of poor customer service, but since it's actually never going to arrive, I'm going to go ahead and share my experiences with you, with the company Avery Allison Yarns. I do NOT have a single nice thing to say about them. (Neither does my sister).

I signed up for their sock club back in December of 2008 for the January 2009 Sock Club, and when buying that, you get February's Sock Club free, as advertised on Ravelry. Ravelry also gave a 15% off coupon code, so I thought I was getting a really good deal for 2 Sock Club Kits for 25$ USD.

Then January came around, and when I got back from Florida (which was on January 20th), I emailed them to find out when my sock club kit was coming. I emailed them again. No reponse. Finally on my third attempt to email them on in late January, they responded saying:

"Our Sock Club was originally scheduled to ship out mid January, but our designer is running a bit behind schedule. I was planning on sending out a message to everyone tomorrow letting them know that we will probably be mailing both January and February in the same package late January."

You were planning? When? When they got around to it? What kind of service is this? You don't organize a sock club and then have the designer run late on you. That's just poor organization.

So, then on Wednesday, February 4th, I get this email:

"We've decided to ship our January/February Sock Club Kits together, and they're going out at the end of this week! We'll ship you your tracking info as soon as they're in the hands of Canada Post! Happy Knitting. Avery Allison Yarns"

Ok, great. Fine, finally some communication!

The weekend came and went, and by Sunday, I still had no tracking number. So from Sunday on, both Amy & I emailed Avery Allison Yarns, and asked for our tracking number. No response. I believe I emailed about two or 3 times between Sunday, February 8th, until yesterday, February 11th.

This morning with NO response or explain as to why, there is a payment in my paypal account from Avery Allison Yarns. A payment? I'm confused. It's for 25$ USD. Which, paypal took a cut from. AND it's not at the same exchange rate from when I paid for it. So not only did I lose paypal fees, but I also am not getting back my full refund.

All I wanted was to check out their yarn. I've seen their ads on Ravelry. Amy has a skein or two from them that she ordered a few months ago, but even that I've never seen. I've never owned their yarn,and I was possibly interested in opening a wholesale account with them, to either a) carry their stuff in my shop, or b) have them dye a sock club for me. Well, that will be no more, I refuse to carry their yarns now, and do not want them dying for my sock club.

I now have a foul taste in my mouth from their company. Not only do they have very poor customer servive, or rather no customer service at all at this point, but they need to learn how to run a business. They also either a) should find a web hosting company that doesn't lose their emails, or b) actually answer their emails and not blame it on their server.

Now I'm wondering if the sock club fell through, but it's still for sale on their website. Maybe the designer fell through and they never got the pattern. I am assuming it's not a yarn issue, since they dye the yarns themselves. They shouldn't offer a sock club if they can't follow through. In my sock club, I don't even dye the yarn, and I come through for my customers.

I do not recommend to anyone purchasing from Avery Allison Yarns. Even though they did refund my money, which I'm happy about, I never asked them to refund it. I just wanted my sock club packages. At this point, if they were to send me their yarn, I wouldn't be interested in knitting it, or owning it, or putting it in my Ravelry stash that I own it, or even wearing a knitted garment with their yarn.

I can't even begin to tell you the disgust I have for this company. I don't even think she has anyone working for her, as she's a stay-at-home mom of 2 kids (according to her Ravelry profile) who dyes the yarns herself.

All I have to say is... "CUSTOMER SERVICE, CUSTOMER SERVICE, CUSTOMER SERVICE!" Someone who knows her personally should tell her that. Or I hope she googles her company name and reads my blog post. I put a lot of thought into what I was going to write before typing up this post. I would never bash another company, especially one who could even be competition to me (in a sense), though she's not a yarn shop, she's just a dyer, but if I personally get service like I have, I thought it would be good to share it with my readers, so that you don't get screwed over by her as well.

Alright, Rant Over.

Here is an update on my blankie project. I haven't knitted on it in a bit, but I needed to photograph it for something, so I decided to update my ravelry project page. I do plan on continuing to work on it, but after I finish my step-mother-in-law's vest which was for her December 23rd, 2008 birthday, and another deadline that I have to finish shortly.

Today I picked up a gorgeous purse make-up mirror at the pharmacy when I went to go buy Robitussin for Jamie (he's been coughing still) and also some more stage 2 nipples for Mack. We just recently switched him from stage 1 to stage 2. Stage 2 (by Avent) is marked 1 month +. We had switched Sean on them at 2 months old, or just before he turned 2 months old in March of 2007. Mack was never complaining on the stage 1 nipples, so I was in no rush to change them over. When I finally did change him over, and we ran out of clean stage 2 nipples, I used a stage 1 nipple and he FREAKED. Alright, so I knew it was time to get some more stage 2 nipples. I can't figure out why we have so little amount of them left, from when Sean used them. Either I didn't buy so many, or some went missing, or some got holes in them from Sean chewing on them, I'm not sure. So I picked up some more nipples for Mack's bottles.

But this mirror is just stunning. And I was in the market for a new one actually.

Tonight Jamie & I sat on the couch and watched some tv. We had stuff from thist past week to catch up on. Lost, 24, and Big Bang Theory. Some knitting related stuff was done, but not actual knitting. I wish. Sometimes vegging out on the couch is much needed. I hope to get some knitting time tomorrow.

There are just a few spots left in March's sock club, and another reminder for my 3$ Pattern Sale in my shop. I also still have a few pre-order Knit Kits left, and I've re-plenished my stock for the Scrabble Earrings, so EVERY letter is available! I've also got a few Knitting Needle Earrings left by Saving Nine Creations, and they're on major sale!

september twenty-three :: 14 weeks old

Sean's first day of daycare. I decided that I was going to take Sean to daycare before Jamie leaves to work for the day. This morning we were lucky and Mack was sleeping still, so I was able to get dressed, get Sean dressed, and after Sean finished his milk, we headed off to daycare. I wasn't sure how long it was going to take this morning, but surprisingly I was home in 20 minutes. We got there, he was a little hesitant at first, as he's never been there before. We get to his classroom, he gets a little clingy. I give his teacher his crib sheet (for his mat during nap time), a crochet blanket (for nap time) (the blanket was a gift from a family friend), his diapers, his bib, his sippy cup, etc. I gave him a kiss goodbye (gave the teacher my house & cell number in case anything) and while he was distracted with a toy telephone, I snuck out telling him that I was going to put his backpack away and I'd see him later. No tears. Just some clingyness. I was totally expecting tears. I think I was sad there were no tears. But he's a very outgoing kid - this shyness is new, and I'm hoping a phase.

I was told to pick him up just before nap time today. They had a girl there today whose parents work, the girl just started yesterday and she was freaking out during nap time. They said that they couldn't deal with 2 new kids freaking out at nap time in one day, as it would disrupt the other kids. Not saying Sean would disrupt nap time, but just in case. They said we'll try nap time tomorrow.

I came home and folded laundry, fed Mack, and did a few things around the house. I got Mack ready and headed out to do some errands including some groceries & the bank.

When I went back to pick him up, he was just finishing his lunch, and before I entered that class room, I peeked in. He was smiling with the teacher, she was cleaning his face from lunch (which was fish sticks, mashed potatoes & vegetables), and enjoying himself. As soon as I opened the door and he saw me, he teared up, yelled "Mommy, mommy, mommy" and hugged me. He was HAPPY to see me. I told him that I was coming back for him, and that I would never ever leave him anywhere to never come back. I kept asking him if he had a good time, and he told me yes. I asked him if he was going to go tomorrow to play at school again, and he said yes. He's very good at saying no, so these yes answers are great.

We came home, I let him watch a little bit of TV while I cleaned up and put the groceries away, and then Sean went down for his afternoon nap.

This afternoon instead of going out for my "meeting", it was held at my house, as I had to pick up Sean and he had to take his afternoon nap. Two moms from playgroup came over as we had some playgroup issues to discuss. Myself with the other two mothers that were here, we are the ones who "started up" playgroup. Anyhow, we're having a few issues with some of the moms/babies that attend, and we are trying to work out to make playgroup go more smoothly, and hopefully it'll all work out and regulate after the Jewish holidays, which are next week.

Sean woke up while the two moms were over and charmed them both. He's such a flirt that kid.

This evening I made Cheese & Spinach Ravioli for Sean & I. Jamie worked late and then went to visit his uncle in the hospital (more about that in a minute). We both really enjoyed the Ravioli, and it was just delicious. I definitely hope to make it again sometime. Feeding pasta in any shape or kind to a kid with sauce is not good. Sean makes a HUGE mess each time. So much so, that even if it's not bath night (he gets a bath every other night), we have to give him a bath because he gets sooooo dirty from pasta sauce. He had sauce in his hair, in his ears, all over his face, all over his clothes, wedged in the booster seat, on the floor. I love eating pasta, but it's such a freakin' mess!

Mr. Mack is 14 weeks old today. I really love this picture of the two of us today.

This evening I did a lot of laundry folding and watched the first televised Habs game of the season. We beat Buffalo 3-2. I see some potential in some guys that were brought up. We'll see what happens though. I also caught up on tonight's episode of House and Law & Order SVU. I love that the new seasons are starting up!

I wound some more mini skeins for the blanket project. I need to sit down and count out how many there are. I'm not repeating any color ways in the blanket, so I need to make sure each one is unique! I however didn't get a single chance to knit a stitch today. I did however (before dinner) get a chance to close my eyes for a little bit with Mack sleeping on me, while Sean destroyed the playroom (I napped on the playroom couch), as he dumped out the entire toy bin, rearranged the furniture, etc. Funny kid. Loves to make mess. It's funny too how he cleans up his messes at other people's houses (like my mother's), but not at his own house. Fun.

Tomorrow, Sean's off to daycare in the morning and is staying for nap time as well, Mack & I have Aqua class, and then we made plans last week to go see an afternoon Mom & Baby movie (Starz & Strollers program) with my mom and another mommy from Mack's playgroup, with her son, one of Mack's 2 best friends. What's funny is that Mackie's 2 best friends both have names that start with the letter J. Lots of babies with J names this summer! And tomorrow night I've also got plans and I'm taking Mack with me. Busy busy day tomorrow, and before I know it, it'll be Friday already, the weekend will go by really quickly and then Monday-Tues-Wednesday are the Jewish Holidays = family & good food!

september eleven

Some garden updates:

A lot of red tomatoes. I'm just hoping that the ones that aren't ripe yet will ripen before it starts getting too cold at night. I don't want to lose any tomatoes.

My sunflower is doing great!

And my pumpkin is starting to turn orange!

Sean started class this morning at the Y.

He painted.

Had conversations on the phone.

And made his very own placemat.

He was a handful this morning though. He didn't want to sit at the table during art, screamed when they took away the glue, didn't want to sit during circle time on the rug, didn't want to stay at the table during snack time, you name it.... It was constant chasing after him today.

In yarnie news:

I've been winding mini-skeins for myself from leftovers - each one is the EXACT amount I need for one square on my blanket and even with a tad bit leftover (for leeway).

A close up of the mini-skeins. I need to count what I have here, but I still think I need a lot more for the project. I'm not repeating any colorway twice in there.

Updated view of the whole blankie so far. 64 squares.

And the last 4 added on. 1- Artyarns Ultramerino4, 2 - Dream in Color Smooshy in Some Summer Sky, 3 - Dream in Color Smooshy in In Vino Veritas and 4 - Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn.


Even Mack tonight at West Island Knits enjoyed the blanket, as it was mad freezing in the restaurant. Next time we go, I will bring extra blankets for him and a sweater for me.

Now that SP12 is winding down to an end, I want to show you what Cynthia made me. I couldn't blog about it earlier, as her pal Tara had received one and I didn't want Tara to figure out who her pal was that was spoiling her. But now that Cynthia revealed herself, I can show you! Cynthia made me a notions pouch large enough to put knitting needles in it. Isn't it just gorgeous? I admire Cynthia's sewing skills! She's awesome.

Speaking of sewing lessons, I'm still looking for a class to take. The lady I'd called that I had her number, she returned my call finally and the school is shutting down after 30 years, and the woman is no longer giving classes. Oh well. I hope something else turns out. I'm dying to learn a few techniques.

Speaking of sewing..... I had to make another bottle holder for Mack. We seem to have lost the first one I made. But now I'm a pro, and the new one is super awesome. I did a few things better on v.2.0. and I like it a lot more. I'm going to look tomorrow at the mall in lost and found to see if maybe it's there?

Happy birthday Jenn!

august twenty-nine :: 87 weeks old

Sean is 87 weeks old today.

This morning I got a fabulous package from my Secret Pal in the mail!

First up, my mouth dropped when I saw this - Hand Maiden Sea Silk. Oh. my. god. My fave colors, and I just love this yarn. I'd never had some before Jenn got me some for my birthday back in June, and I'm super glad I've got more. Just need to find the perfect pattern now. Oh, it's heaven. And the colors in this skein I just got are superb. I believe it's the Glacier colorway, though, I'm not 100% certain as the tag is not marked, but from Ravelry, that's what I gather. It's just gorgeous.

My secret pal also sent me Let's Knit magazine which is European (UK) as well as 2 books, The Naughty Sheep and The Treasure Sock.

My pal also sent me a TON of gum, which I love. It's my fave kind of candy, etc. Since I'm not really a fan of chocolate.

I also got a cute sheep magnet (which is already on the filing cabinet in my office), some Wool Fat Soap, and a tin can that contained.....

... a ton of fun beads!

She also sent a really nice towel type piece of material which I assume is from her local knitting guild. I know my pal is from somewhere in the UK, so this must be where she's from. It's pretty neat. I plan on ironing out the creases and maybe framing it for my office.

Oh, but wait - there's more! Some knitting clips, 2.5mm DPNS (which are a fave size for me!), some sheep point protectors and a knitting CD-rom.

She also sent me some leftovers for my blankie project! Thank you so much SP. I love everything and cannot wait to use it all!

My SP sent a card, which I've put away. It has her reveal information (I'm assuming she's a she). Though, because she had to send one parcel by surface mail (by boat to cross the ocean), I don't want to know who she is until that package arrives (which we're hoping it does before SP12 ends on September 30th). So I've saved the card for then. Will power! I don't want the surprise ruined.

Some updates from my garden from this morning:

I really think my sunflower will open up any day now...

I picked a TON of tomatoes and a cucumber to take with us this weekend to my sister-in-law's place as well as the two zucchinis (below) that were ready:

And by the time we get back we'll have a cucumber ready to be eaten too!

And my pumpkin is doing well!

Early afternoon we left the house after it took 45 minutes to pack the car. The car was shoved packed to the rim. I swear, you name it, we had it. It's crazy to pack up TWO young kids for a weekend trip. Almost impossible to pack light. I don't know if I'll do this again for a long time, let me tell you! We finally left the house around 1:15 (after opening the garage and starting to load the trunk around 12:30pm). We picked up lunch, which we ate in the car. We stopped to pick up bagels for my sister-in-law (as per request). I needed to go to the bank and that took only a few minutes, and next door I popped into the pharmacy to get a new bottle brush as I had to throw out our last one, but needed one for our trip.

It then took us an hour and 45 minutes to get off the island of Montreal. Traffic was sick. Yep, labour day weekend and everyone seemed to be going away, early afternoon.

Our 3 and a half hour drive, ended up being 6 hours. We got to Jamie's sister's place around 7:30 pm. It was a VERY LONG afternoon. We had to stop half way for a bathroom break and to change both kids' diapers. Mack was not happy to be in his car seat, and was very unhappy for most of the trip (and let us hear it). Sean napped for about an hour (when he usually takes 3 hour naps - which we were counting on) and was restless in the car as well. Let me tell you - it was not fun. It also didn't help that there was traffic just about everywhere you looked. Finally it did clear up about halfway there and the rest of the actual driving was smooth sailing, though, not very pleasant with two unhappy children.

We were glad to finally arrive in Beauceville, Qc.

Sean ran around my sister-in-law's property and was super happy to have land to run free on. He missed his cousin and was really happy to see him as well. It was still light out when we got there, so I was able to snap a few photographs outside before it got dark.

We're all settled in now, and my boys are wearing matching PJ's. How cute. I know. Mack's not happy here in this photograph because it took about 10 minutes to get Sean to actually sit for a photo, and by that time Mack was like "take the picture already"...! I had to bribe Sean with the drum to sit still for a few minutes. All I wanted was ONE photo! But Sean was wired and wanted to run around and play with his older cousin.

We had a lovely dinner, I worked on my crazy socks that I started in the car on the ride down (when I actually had my hands free to myself for a bit, and wasn't feeding Mack or putting a Suss in Mack's mouth (though he's not so fond of the suss, so I'm not pushing it), or passing Sean snacks or a drink, etc...) I'll post my crazy socks tomorrow and tell you all about why they are so crazy!

The country air is making me tired. I'm off to catch some Zzzz's! Hope you're all having a wonderful long weekend.

august twenty-four

Here is an updated photograph of my entire blanket so far. 61 squares. 122 hours of work. (2 hours per square). Here are the newest squares:

Number 1 is Colinette Jitterbug in Blue Parrot. Number 2 is unknown, leftovers from Shelley, hopefully she can tell me what it is? And number 3 is Dream in Color Smooshy in Gothic Rose.

I just love this shot. (Taken in our front foyer).

We got two new couches from Jenn and her husband.
They look great in our den. Thank you Jenn!

This afternoon I finished putting together my new shoe shelves. I started it the other day while both boys napped, and I finally finished it while they napped again today. I brought all my non-dressy shoes here, and they'll be staying in this closet. My heels (dressy shoes) are still in my bedroom closet. Finally my shoes are organized.

I finally wound The Boy Who Lived into a cake today. I am going to see how it knits up. I'm not sure if I'm going to like it. I'm going to try it with the Drop Stitch Scarf pattern. I'll give it two or three repeats and see. I'll get back to you!

One pumpkin so far in our garden is really doing well. I think it's going to be awesome. I just hope that I get more than 1 pumpkin. At least one for each kid. Here's to hoping! But look at the one above - it's awesome!

And there is something brewing on my sunflower. I hope it means it's going to actually be a sunflower. That would be nice. It won't be 6 feet tall like the package said (as it's confined to a pot). But I have high hopes for it!

Jamie's mom and her wife stopped by for a visit. While they were here, I worked on square number 3 in the 2nd picture of this post. This evening we went to my parents house for dinner. And now, Jamie and I just finished watching some Monk and Big Brother 10 on tv, and we're going to hit the sack for the night. I've got Mack's playgroup tomorrow and I need to speak to the A/C guy to find out when he's coming to replace our unit. (Hoping Tuesday).

September's Sock Club kit is sold out (and going in the mail tomorrow) and October's Sock Club is for sale. As well as November's Ultimate and Mini-Ultimate sock club kits.