Alphabet Salad

(Note: This post was written by Laurel Regan and originally published in a separate blog called “Fibre Yarns”, which was later merged with Alphabet Salad.)

I finished up the scarf made from my second ball of Patons Decor to go with my previously completed mittens. I used the motif from this pattern and a 5mm hook to work the scarf, and this is what I ended up with:

I enjoyed the process of making the scarf, and I’m glad to have another finished project, but I feel pretty meh about the end result. I like the motif, but my starting and ending tension was significantly different so the scarf is wider at one end than the other. Also, the wool had a knot in the middle, so partway through I had to cut and rejoin (never a favourite activity for me!). Because I was only using a motif and not following the whole pattern, when I reached the end of the scarf I had to wing it and wasn’t happy with how it turned out. On top of it all, I ran out of wool for the tassels and had to use some taken from my mitten test swatch, which (as you can see) is all curled from the memory of the swatch. Hard to imagine that that many things could go wrong with what should have been a simple scarf!

But on the positive side, I feel as though my crocheting style has actually improved through practicing on this scarf. I consciously made the effort to hold my yarn the new way I’ve been taught and to crochet less tightly and I think, although it resulted in an uneven end product, it’s really going to help me develop a more attractive stitch style.

So, on to the next project!

(Note: This post was written by Laurel Regan and originally published in a separate blog called “Fibre Yarns”, which was later merged with Alphabet Salad.)

I have, amazingly enough, found time to crochet even in the middle of trying to sell our house! I guess it shouldn’t really surprise me, though – after all, having to clear out of the house for hours at a time for home showings, Open Houses, etc. gives one a lot of time to kill – and crocheting is a wonderful time-killing option!

I actually started the ribbing of the second mitten the other evening, then finished the rest of the project yesterday. I’m really pleased about it, as I was a little afraid that I’d never get around to making the second mitten and therefore never be able to say that my project was complete. Apparently I should have had more faith in myself!

So here’s a photo of the mittens, all ready to wear:

The pair of them took up almost all of the first ball of Patons Decor; however, as I mentioned in my previous entry, I picked up a second ball just in case I ran out and also to use for a matching scarf. I started the scarf yesterday, following the motif from this pattern and using a 5mm hook to make a skinny scarf.

Crocheting can be such a soothing way to spend time, almost meditative, with the bonus of ending up with a useable object. I’m so glad I’ve rediscovered it!

(Note: This post was written by Laurel Regan and originally published in a separate blog called “Why Windsor…”, which was later merged with Alphabet Salad.)

After much hard work and preparation, we met with our Victoria realtor this afternoon to sign the paperwork that will allow her to put our house on the market. It should be in the system within the next couple of days, so all we have to do now is… wait, and hope. Oh, and keep the place clean! One step closer to Windsor…

(Note: This post was written by Laurel Regan and originally published in a separate blog called “Fibre Yarns”, which was later merged with Alphabet Salad.)

Catching up…

During my fourth crochet class at Beehive I started to work my way up the body of the mitten, and finally felt as though I was accomplishing something… so much so that after I returned home from the class I carried on working until I was almost finished! I reached a point in the pattern where I wasn’t 100% sure what to do, though, so I put it aside until the last class when I could get some help.

During the fifth and final class I had my questions answered and was able to close off the top of the mitten, add the thumb, and weave in the ends with this great yarn needle I bought that day (there were two in the package, each with a large eye opening and angled tip – perfect!)… and behold, my first mitten was complete! And it actually fit!

Predictably, the colour is atrocious (why do photos of yarn rarely do full justice to the actual colour?!) and the picture quality is meh, but you get the idea. Just trust me when I say that it’s much nicer in real life!

I’m really pleased that I was able to finish the whole thing during the series of classes at Beehive so that I’ll be comfortable working on the second one on my own. And I’m really glad I took the classes – I learned a lot, I met some really nice people and I had a great time at class each week. I highly recommend the experience!

My next task is to finish the second mitten (I bought another ball of Patons Decor in Tapestry Variegated in case I ran out), and then to make some sort of coordinating scarf or neckwarmer with whatever yarn is left.

But for the moment I’ll be signing off. Our house goes on the market early next week, and once it sells we’ll be packing up and moving across the country, so I’m pretty sure that crocheting will be the last thing on my mind during this process! I will definitely be picking up the hooks again, however, once we’re settled into our new home… and I will return to tell my tales!

Stay tuned…

(Note: This post was written by Laurel Regan and originally published in a separate blog called “Why Windsor…”, which was later merged with Alphabet Salad.)

When I glanced up at my desktop this morning and saw the weather reports, I knew which city I’d rather be in today!

*grin*

(Note: This post was written by Laurel Regan and originally published in a separate blog called “Fibre Yarns”, which was later merged with Alphabet Salad.)

Last week’s class was cancelled due to a scheduling conflict with one of the group members (a great benefit of having such a small class!), so today was Class #3 and the group will carry on a week longer than originally scheduled.

Today I finished the wrist ribbing on the first mitten and started on the body of the mitten. I’m moving really, really slowly on this project, but it’ll get done eventually! It’ll be nice once it starts to take shape.

During the week my mind has been focused on our upcoming move, so unfortunately I don’t seem to have much interest in or energy for crocheting. I’m grateful for my class, though – it’s a welcome two-hour oasis of calm in the midst of a rather tumultuous time in my life!

(Note: This post was written by Laurel Regan and originally published in a separate blog called “Why Windsor…”, which was later merged with Alphabet Salad.)

As we’ve been planning and talking about our upcoming move to Windsor, we’ve run into some interesting responses, both to our reasons for moving and to our choice of city. It seems as though most everyone, from people who know us well to those on the outermost periphery of our lives, has an opinion on our life choice!

While most people appreciate and even understand our reasons for moving, few seem able to wrap their minds around why we’ve chosen Windsor, of all places. Some suggest their own city or cities of choice (“If it was me, I’d move to _____. Have you thought of moving there?”), while others hint that we may be building Windsor into some kind of “dream city” in our minds, and caution that those expectations will be shattered when we discover that it’s nothing like what we’re used to here in Victoria.

It can be frustrating.

I’ve written about our motivations and how we came to choose Windsor as our new home, but find it difficult to condense those thoughts into a pithy sentence or two that reassures people that yes, we’ve thought this through and yes, we are aware that there are some negative aspects about Windsor and yes, we are going into this with our eyes wide open. While I realize that we’re under no obligation to rationalize our choices to others – that our decisions are ours and ours alone as a couple – I can’t help wishing that more people would “get” where we’re coming from and be excited along with us.

I guess if I had to pare it down to one sentence, I’d say this: We don’t expect Windsor to be our dream city, but we choose Windsor because living there will bring us closer to our dreams.

Among other things, we dream of…

• owning our own home
• living mortgage- and debt-free
• spending less on day-to-day living
• working fewer hours
• having more free time to learn, grow, exercise, volunteer, travel, socialize
• being able to easily travel by vehicle to a wide range of destinations without the necessity of using a ferry
• being able to travel to overseas destinations within a more reasonable budget

… and Windsor, my friends, ticks all the boxes. Perhaps that’s not enough for you, but it’s what this move means to us.

And that’s enough for me.

(Note: This post was written by Laurel Regan and originally published in a separate blog called “Fibre Yarns”, which was later merged with Alphabet Salad.)

I‘m ashamed to say that for various reasons I didn’t do a single stitch of actual crochet practice this past week (though I did buy a great bag with tons of zippered pockets in which to store all my crochet supplies!). Nevertheless, I went to my second crochet class at Beehive Wool Shop today and actually began to work on my project. After multiple false starts (have I mentioned how much I dislike the first row?!) I managed to get going on the ribbing on the wrist of the first mitten. I got a decent section done, then carried on and completed a few more rows when I got home. Still crocheting quite tightly, but trying to consciously ease up a bit.

I’m not going to bother posting pictures of this WIP, as it’s really not very interesting to anyone else but me at this stage! I will do so once the first mitten is complete, however.

Onward…

(Note: This post was written by Laurel Regan and originally published in a separate blog called “Why Windsor…”, which was later merged with Alphabet Salad.)

I just spoke with our Victoria realtor, and confirmed that we’ll be putting our home on the market at the beginning of March. It’s all becoming so real, suddenly… if all goes according to plan, we’ll be living in Windsor in a few months!

We have much to do before the listing date, though, so thinking about being in Windsor will have to take a back seat to cleaning out the garage, getting the back yard and front flowerbeds in shape, taking care of small repairs and paint touchups, packing away personal photos and clutter, deep cleaning, and so on. It’s all rather overwhelming, but when I remind myself of the extensive renovations and decluttering we had to do in our condo to prepare it for sale, and the fact that we did live through the process, I know we can manage the jobs we have to do now.

Time to rally my strength and stamina… Windsor, here we come!

(Note: This post was written by Laurel Regan and originally published in a separate blog called “Fibre Yarns”, which was later merged with Alphabet Salad.)

I went to my first crochet class at Beehive Wool Shop today, and it was great! It’s a very small class – only three of us plus the instructor – so there’s a lot of time for personal help and attention. I’m making a simple pair of mittens (following this pattern, which happens to have been written by my instructor!) using Patons Decor in Tapestry Variegated. I bought one ball of yarn at Beehive for $5.39 plus tax (regularly $5.99, but discounted 10% because I was buying it for a class).

All I did today was make my test swatch, and as it turns out I’m not crocheting as tightly as I was before – I actually had to go down a hook size to get the right gauge! We’ll see how the project goes once I get started – hopefully I’ll be able to keep my tension consistent throughout.

The other two members of the group are making more complicated projects than mine (one’s making a vest, the other a hood with buttoned collar), but I think my project will be just the right level for getting me back into the crochet swing of things. Plus, I’m hoping it will help me get past my last attempt at mittens (which was, to say the least, fairly disastrous!).

Looking forward to what comes next…

Guns don’t kill people – people kill people.

If there’s any more tired and trite statement than that, I don’t know what it is.

Certainly, if a person is determined to kill, they will do it no matter what weapon they may have at hand. But can’t gun activists understand that a gun makes it a heck of a lot easier for that person to kill many people at one time, very efficiently and with great ease?

Imagine Tucson, AZ yesterday if there had been no gun in the story. How many people would have been killed or injured by some other weapon before the killer was subdued?

I unequivocally hate guns, and I hate equally the gun “laws” that make it possible for unbalanced people to easily obtain these weapons of mass destruction.

And I really don’t care if you disagree with me.

Thoughts, prayers and tears for the victims and families of yesterday’s tragedy.

RIP
Christina Green, 9
Dorothy Morris, 76
John Roll, 63
Phyllis Schneck, 79
Dorwan Stoddard, 76
Gabriel Zimmerman, 30

(Note: This post was written by Laurel Regan and originally published in a separate blog called “Why Windsor…”, which was later merged with Alphabet Salad.)

As I investigate the various areas of Windsor, Walkerville is consistently named as a neighbourhood with much character and a distinct sense of history and community. Not having seen the place myself I can’t say, but what I’ve discovered so far seems pretty appealing.

Some links:

Neighbourhoods of Windsor, Ontario on Wikipedia – South Walkerville and Walkerville

Walkerville, Ontario article on Wikipedia

Walkerville, Ontario on WorldLingo

Video: Exploring Windsor, Ontario: Workers Townhouses in Walkerville Neighbourhood

The TIMES Magazine (formerly The Walkerville Times)

Walkerville BIA (reference for a future date – site currently updating)

So, any Windsorites care to weigh in with opinions?

(Note: This post was written by Laurel Regan and originally published in a separate blog called “Why Windsor…”, which was later merged with Alphabet Salad.)

Confession: I regret that for many years now I haven’t offered my time and talents as a volunteer to a non-profit community organization here in Victoria. Initially I moved away from volunteering because of burnout from many years of over-involvement, and in recent years the time stolen by my commute has affected my desire to serve; however, after a good long break from such extra-curricular commitments, volunteering is something I’d definitely like to consider when we move to Windsor.

Since I’ll be working part-time (at least at first), getting involved as a volunteer shouldn’t be a problem in terms of schedule… plus, in addition to giving back to the community, volunteering may well be a good way to meet people (maybe even make some friends) in my new city!

I’m not sure where I’ll end up, but in preparation for my search I thought I’d start collecting links that will give me some options and help me to decide:

Windsor-Essex County Volunteer Centre Database

Volunteer Services, Windsor (Canadian Relocation Systems)

Windsor, Ontario Volunteer Opportunities (canadian-universities.net)

Volunteer opportunities (kijiji)

I should be able to find something through one of the above links, but as always, other suggestions are more than welcome!

Where 2010 was waiting for life to happen,
may 2011 be consciously living it.

Where 2010 was expecting something for nothing,
may 2011 be empowerment and seizing control.

Where 2010 was planning,
may 2011 be doing.

Where 2010 was caution,
may 2011 be calculated risks.

Where 2010 was fear,
may 2011 be courage.

May it be.

(Note: This post was written by Laurel Regan and originally published in a separate blog called “Why Windsor…”, which was later merged with Alphabet Salad.)

My google-fu is failing me… I’ve only been able to find one suitable option for Italian classes in Windsor:

Italian Language Classes (info at the very bottom of the page) at the Ciociaro Club of Windsor

This sounds good, but it would be nice to have options, no? The only other resources I found were a full degree program in modern languages at the University of Windsor (er, no), or private lessons with various tutors (not what I had in mind – too expensive, and also I’d prefer a group setting).

The search continues…

(Note: This post was written by Laurel Regan and originally published in a separate blog called “Fibre Yarns”, which was later merged with Alphabet Salad.)

I met with my friend/future crochet class instructor yesterday, mostly to get to the bottom of my issues with gauge, and was told that I am possibly the tightest crocheter she’s ever met! She gave me some tips that should help, though – tips on crochet technique, and also on experimenting with different hook sizes – so I’ll work on adjusting my style. Hopefully I can learn to approach a more normal gauge range!

I’m a little nervous and intimidated about attending the intermediate class rather than beginners (which I’d intended to take first before being assured that I’d be bored to tears in it), so my aim between now and class start-up is to practice, practice, practice! I’m really rusty after my long break from crocheting, so I need to reaquaint myself with the six basic stitches that were covered in the beginner crochet class:

1. Chain stitch
2. Single crochet
3. Half double crochet
4. Double crochet
5. Treble crochet
6. Slip stitch

I know I can crochet – all I need to do is to look back on the photos and posts in this blog to remind myself of the projects I’ve completed – but my confidence level is way down due to my long break from the hobby. Hopefully I’ll be able to bring myself back up to speed in the next couple of weeks, at least enough so that I feel confident about fitting in as part of the intermediate class.