Crossed Off #57

On the weekend, I got to cross off #57 on my 101-in-1001 list after watching Gone With the Wind with Laura over two evenings. I'd watched this film about 15 times as a teenager after videotaping it on Betamax, but I'd not seen it for about 25 years now. I wondered if it would be as enjoyable as an adult. It was, though movies are less exciting when you can anticipate every line.

I'd read the novel three times as a teen as well. (OK, so I wasn't a "normal" teenager ....) I never did read the sequel written after Margaret Mitchell's death. If any of you have read it, please reassure me that it won't ruin the memory of the original.

Sunday Craft Update - May 25

I've been working on my new summer cardigan, and I'm on track for a mid-June completion. Here's a photo of the yarn, Louisa Harding's Flotsam, a cotton/polyamide mix. It's a pain to work with, as it occasionally snags, but it makes a lovely fabric, with interesting colours and texture.

A Visit with the Philosopher

Last weekend, I took the family to visit the Philosopher. We didn't get to see him but we were warmly welcomed by the Philosopher's Wife. Eugene and Ann Bourgeois own and run Philosopher's Wool out of their farmhouse in Inverhuron, and Eugene really did study philosophy at university. When we last visited in 2004, they gave us the grand tour of the farm and let the kids see the baby lambs.

I'd recently finished Todd's sweater and felt I was ready for another of their wonderful kits. This time, I chose the Trio pattern in the Night Sky colourway. I'd love to do one of their signature patterns like Trillium one day, but I'm not sure I can wear anything that bright and busy. It would be a joy to knit though.

Here's a close-up of all that wonderful yarn. I have a lot of fun with the novelty blends, but there's nothing like high-quality beautifully dyed 100% wool. My first Philosophers Wool sweater is ten years old and has been worn lovingly many times but it still looks exactly like it did the day I put the last stitch in. These sweaters are built to last.

Ann generously gave Kate a couple of balls of yarn when she expressed an interest in learning to knit. There was a catch, though. Kate must use up those balls before she can return for more. We'll have to get working on that!

These Birks Were Made for Walking

We started our Victoria Day weekend with a roadtrip on Saturday. First, I dragged the family to Philosopher's Wool in Inverhuron and bought another of their wonderful kits. I'll say more about this trip in a future post.

We then drove down the Lake Huron coast to spend the rest of the day with good friends who had invited us to their cottage, just south of Kincardine. After a grey and raining morning, the skies cleared and we had perfect weather for a long walk along the beach.

Here's a photo of Julia on our walk. Notice the shoes she is wearing. These are the ten-year-old Birkenstocks I'd bought in Germany. They're dirty and battered but well-loved. Far from fashionable (or so I thought), I'd been wearing them mostly in the garden the past few years.

A few days ago, Julia spotted the shoes in my closet and asked if she could borrow them. Her claim is that Birks are very much in style these days and all the kids in her school have them (or knock-offs if they can't afford them and their parents don't have extra pairs conveniently lying around).



I then dug out of my closet a pair of three-strap sandals, another pair of Birks even older and uglier than the first. Just a couple of weeks ago, I'd been contemplating tossing these out, thinking that no charity could possibly want them. Well, Julia took these too. According to her, it's fashionable to wear them with sweat socks, especially when the socks are pulled over sweat pants. I wonder if this fashion is limited to her school, as I can't imagine how the general teen population could possibly consider this attractive or comfortable. At least my friends in the university's math department will look stylish now, though I suspect the teens consider it a faux-pas to wear your sandals and socks with a pair of crumpled Dockers.

I am glad my old shoes are getting a second life. However, if I'd known they were so popular these days, I wouldn't have let Julia borrow them. Now I'll have to wait until they're out of style before I'll get a chance to wear them again.

Sunday Craft Update - May 11

I had a lovely Mother's Day that included a brunch at one of my favourite restaurants, afternoon tea and painting pottery at Luci's Mudhouse, and a great dinner cooked by Todd. The girls did their best to be helpful and well-behaved all day. Tomorrow, things will be back to normal, but I'm enjoying every moment of today.

Craft-wise, this week was spent finishing Kate's cardigan. She helped choose the pattern and yarn and encouraged me to work on the knitting every day of the last three weeks.

The Rather Difficult Font Game

Here is a quiz that scrapbookers and anyone interested in typography should like. How many fonts can you identify in this multiple-choice quiz? I only got 13 out of the 34 right ... pretty pathetic for someone who spends as much time on digital scrapbooking as I do.

Tango!

Kate's friend, Julia, gave her Sandra Boynton's Blue Moo for her birthday. Kate loves all the songs but is particularly taken with "Rabbit Tango" and giggles whenever she hears the line about the rabbit with a rose between its teeth. After her string school's year-end concert, each student was presented with a rose. What does Kate do with her rose? Why, the tango, of course! No rabbit in sight? No problem -- the purple teddy bear is a willing partner.

Layout credits: Background from "Cabana White" paper, brush from "Graphic Pop Clusters No. 2", frames from "Snap Frames", all by Katie Pertiet. Flower brush from "Garden Brushes-n-Stamps 2" by Jesse Edwards. All materials from www.designerdigitals.com.