Runner-up for Queen of the UFO's

And I’m exhausted. Everywhere was more crowded than normal for a Monday and I no longer people well. I did consider putting it of to tomorrow hoping for better roads, but more snow tonite and possibly rain tomorrow. Yikes!

No studio time today, but I have managed to work in a little knitting. For the past couple of years I have been making an effort to work through at least some of my UFO’s. This month I picked up a long abandoned henley style pullover. Not completely sure when I started it, but the pattern was released on Knitty in 2006 and I printed out a copy of the pattern in May of 2008. I know I had to order the yarn from the US, so not sure if I waited to print the pattern until yarn was in hand or I did it before. Either way, I figure sometime end of May to mid-June of 2008. It will be a lovely layering piece when it’s done. Soon hopefully, the body was completely done and since I picked it up again I’ve finished one sleeve and am more than 1/2 way on the second.

Question of The Day:

March 25 - In Sweden it's Waffle Day - are you a fan of waffles and do you own a waffle maker? Have you a favourite recipe?
Yes and yes. I’ve tried several different ones over the years, most recently a Norwegian one. That one was really good! The one that gets the most requests though is the one I have for gingerbread waffles.

Zed

P.S. High today was -7C / 19.4F and it is in fact snowing again.
 

Test knit today. Looks so good. Now I just need to schedule a photo shoot. That sound way more official than it will be. It’s just me and Thing Two trying to find a reasonably well lit and not ugly space to take some photos. It keeps snowing, so outside everything is white. It could be good, but glare might be an issue. However, I don’t want to do it inside, this entire place is painted that horrible brownish/greenish/greyish colour that was popular mid-2020’s. Not a great backdrop and it does weird things to other colours.

Question of The Day:
March 5 - Rex Harrison was born on this day in 1908, have you ever seen his version of Dr Doolittle (1967), what about Eddie Murphy's (1998) or Robert Downey Jnr's (2020) version?

I saw the first one at some point, possibly on TV but neither of the other two.

Zed

P.S. Still cold, -23C / -9.4F when I got up this morning. Ugh. Oh and it snowed again. Double ugh.

More than a week since I posted, not what I had planned. Not sure why I didn’t post last Wednesday, but Thursday we got upsetting/frustrating/concerning news and I’ve been dealing with that since. Or trying to. Government bureaucracy at it’s finest. Trying to reach an actual person and always getting an automated response that hangs up on you! Yeah, language around here has been rather salty about that. There’s an email address, but it’s a general one, so no way to direct it to the person you’re trying to reach. Last time I opted for email, it took two weeks to get a response. So, I’m not focusing well.

All that aside, time to move on and get caught up.

Question of The Day:
February 28 - It's a Leap Year - what will you do with your extra day? Do you know anyone born on the 29th of February? Not much different from any other day. Bit of housework, studio time and knitting. I did get my test knit finished today (the knitting anyway), so that’s something. I’d hoped to finish sooner, but I had to take a break. I’ve done something to my middle finger on my dominant hand and knitting was seriously painful. The problem peaked last night and today I was able to work in small bursts. Good thing it was mostly done.
I don’t know anyone born on the 29^th of February. In fact, I’m not aware of anyone with a birthday in February. I’m sure I know someone, but no one close to me.

Catching up:
February 28 - National Tooth Fairy Day - did you get coins from the tooth fairy when you were young? I did. Once I even scored actual paper money. I don’t remember the specifics but it was probably $1 or $2 (yes, $2 bills did exist before the introduction of the loonie and the twoonie).

February 27 - John Steinbeck (author) was born today. Have you ever read The Grapes of Wrath? Nope, and I don’t plan to.

February 26 - Tell a Fairy Tale Day - have you ever read any of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales? Yes, we had a compendium of the “children’s” versions (aka not as scary/horrifying/explicit) and over the years I’ve managed to read at least a few of the stories in their original versions.

February 25 - Do you know how to swim? When was the last time you went swimming and where? Yes I do, but it’s been ages! I don’t honestly remember where/when. Probably on vacation mid-20teens.

February 24 - What's the weather like - warmer or colder than the average for the time of year? It’s weird! Bouncing around like a rubber ball. Average daily high temperature for February is about -6C / 21.2F, but this day the high was +5C / 41F and two days later the high was -19C / -2.2F. So both?

February 23 - It's Banana Bread Day - did you make banana bread during the Covid 19 lockdowns? Nope, I didn’t. I can’t eat banana. Possibly Thing Two did as bananas and banana bread are favourites of theirs.

February 22 - Today there's a full moon - will it be cloudy, or will you be able to see the moon tonight? Hmmm, pretty sure it was clear this night, but cloudy the next few.

February 21 - Have you ever had a pet? Many over the years. Mostly cats, but there was a dog when I was little and fish (guppies) for a while too. Currently we have two old lady cats, Satsuma and Piggie.

Zed

P.S.  High today was +8C / 46.4F, but about 4 pm the wind shifted direction and by 4:30 pm it was snowing.  It's -9C / 15.8F at 8 pm.
 

At least here in Alberta (and the US too I believe). ‘Tis Family Day, also known as the day local(ish) ski resorts are busy and very happy. I am happy to stay away! 

I did have a lazy rest of the day yesterday, didn’t even get dressed. I made good progress on my second sleeve, only stopped last night because I’d run out of pre-caked yarn. I figured no one would appreciate me winding yarn at 11 pm, the swift squeaks! The cats were annoyed enough by it this morning. It’s amazing how long it can take to wind up 475 m of yarn. Squeak, squeak, squeak. 

I am planning to get in some studio time this afternoon. Just have to wait until Thing Two surfaces to nab the space heater first.

Question of The Day:
February 19 - National Lash Day - have you ever worn false eyelashes or are yours long enough already?

Actually, no to both? My natural lashes are short and blond, which considering I’m a brunette (what’s not already grey that is) is annoying. However, I am allergic to a whole lot of adhesives, so I do not think false eyelashes are ever going to be an option for me. I’ve had a few people tell me about brands that use hypo-allergenic adhesives, but I reacted to the “super, special nobody is allergic to these” hospital quality hypo-allergenic post surgery bandages (that was fun-not), so I doubt a commercially produced beauty product would be better.

In an unfair turn of events, both Things have incredibly long lashes, so long they’ve actually interfered with eye exams.

Zed

Except not. We studiously avoid manic here.

I did get serious about working on stuff again and the tee shirts are finally finished. I had gotten so frustrated I had to take several days away from the machines to keep my stress levels down. I even had time to do a bit on Thing Two’s PJ’s. I should be able to finish them next time I’m in the studio. Which might not be until Wednesday, just depends.

In other news, I started on my next test knit today.  I'm loving the look of this!  I'm holding two different yarns together and they're working so well together.  I can't wait to see how it looks as a finished garment, I think it's going to be lovely.

Question of The Day:
February 5 - World Nutella Day - yay or nay on the chocolatey nutty spread (and what do you spread it on, or do you spoon it from the jar?)

A very definite yay. It’s pretty darn expensive here, so we rarely buy it. Sometimes the store brand is on sale and we’ll go for that. There is a difference though. I like it on toast (no to the spoon in the jar see: expensive) and for a very special treat, in a crepe.

Zed

Unproductive weekend. Didn’t manage to get up to anything much at all. Except making a mess, that I managed quite well. Dropped the coffee container while putting it away and ended up with coffee grounds all over the pantry! I cleaned up what I could see (eyesight not what it used to be), but Thing Two had to come behind me and do a more extensive job. I missed how it had fallen into a bunch of containers. Luckily we only had to throw out a couple of things, but man what a PITA!

I may have also made a mess of my hands. Though that’s not just from this weekend. Looks like I’ll have to take a break from knitting to let them heal up. Sigh.
 

Question of The Day:

January 22 - Have you any snow where you live? When was the last time it snowed in your area?

Yep, fair bit of snow now. And it’s snowing right now. Snow’s been in the forecast since Friday, but it’s only now showing up. Because of course it is, we need to go out today. At least it’s the fine stuff that takes a while to accumulate.

Zed

Continues to be weird. We had fog all day, sometimes with visibility down to zero. Fog isn’t typical here and certainly not mid-winter.  When we do get fog, it's a spring/fall sort of thing that will only last for a few hours. It was pretty though, along with the fog all the trees were coated in frost/ice. Just glad I didn’t have to go out in it!

Question of The Day:

January 3 - Festival of Sleep Day is a whimsical and lighthearted holiday dedicated to the joys of sleep and relaxation. It's a day when people are encouraged to take a break from their busy lives and catch up on some much-needed rest. What would be your favourite thing to do on this day?

Sleep in, which I did not do. Then spend some time working on projects, reading and watching fun stuff on You Tube. All of which I did do.

Zed

  But still taking time for me/projects for me.  No FO’s today, but significant progress has been made.

Today: December 27 – Make Cut-out Snowflake Day: Have you ever made cut-out snowflakes? How about a string of cut-out paper dolls?

Yes to both. Cut-out snowflakes were a pretty common December activity in elementary school. I know there were paper doll strings at some point, but can’t remember why. Could have been a just because or possibly an activity in Brownies? I also had several different sets of punch out paper dolls with assorted clothing (which never stayed on and those little paper tabs tended to tear off way too easily).

December 21 – Don't Make Your Bed Day: Were you brought up to make your bed every day? Do you make your bed every day?

Yes I was. And I generally make my bed twice a day. Once when I get up and again before bed.

December 22 – Mathematics Day: Were you good at mathematics in school? How much of the math/s you learned in school do you use in your everyday life now?

Not at all. un-diagnosed dyscalculia made math an absolute nightmare in school. I don’t think I use much math as I was taught it. I’ve learned some work a rounds and the existence of on line conversion charts and topic specific calculators means I can get the info I need.

December 23 – Roots Day: How much do you know about your own family history? Do you know the names of your great grandparents? Have any of your ancestors been a part of any significant historical events?

I know some, I could know a lot more about my paternal side if I wanted. I have a relative who’s very into genealogy and has done tons of work on that side of the family (even written a book). I’m not that fussed to know all the details. I should know my great grandparents names, I have been told repeatedly, but eh, memory isn’t all it used to be. I guess it depends on how you define “significant”. Minor nobility and people with important positions with influential companies probably were part of events, but don’t think anyone made it into the history books.

Zed

November, 29 – Throw Out Your Leftovers Day: How do you feel about leftovers? Are you happy to eat the same food more than once in a row, or do you crave variety in your diet? Do you take leftovers home from a restaurant when/if you eat out?       Absolutely we eat leftovers, not going to throw out food!  Some times we cook extra just to have leftovers (aka planned-overs).  We very rarely eat out, but yes, leftovers come home with us.

And speaking of not throwing out food, locally we have access to a community resource centre associated with Second Harvest, a group dedicated to reducing/eliminating food waste.  So, sometimes the leftovers we eat come from other sources including grocery stores, restaurants and even the local care home. 

P.S.  Second Harvest has a great number of resources on their site for ways you can reduce your own food waste and save money on groceries at the same time.  The "Best Before Timetable" is eye opening.

Zed