Razoir's B-day and my lonely socks...

We had a little family b-day get together to celebrate Theresa's happy day and here are the cupcakes I made for her. So sparkly pink and totally delicious :)

The weather was so nice, we had to head out to the beach. Here's the clan at their best. Harry becomes such a kid when he hangs out with our nephew Josh - it is completely out of control and hilarious! My sister-in-law is the blonde hotty in the centre photo.





I also started knitting some socks this weekend - but I was so wary to begin another sock pattern. In the past I haven't had much success with projects that require me knitting two of a kind- as you can see from the photos below. It's great to see a project come together, and then I lose interest in starting the other half. I suppose I lack the committment there - but I am determined to complete my 2 socks this time. In the meantime, I'll share the portraits of these lonely halves so they don't feel completely forgotten in my knitting basket.

I also have this problem with mittens too.



I'm off to try dying some wool with kool-aid now. MMMMM...kool-aid.

The Sun Run has Sprung!

We did it! Another year of the Sun Run under our belts and both Harry and I have done a personal best for our annual spring 10K run. We were happy to have Harry's sister and nephew along for the ride too - we had a blast! Here are the official results of the clan:

Harry 58:27 5:51:08/km 9:25:00/mi
Sandra 1:00:26 6:02:57/km 9:44:00/mi
Joshua 2:02:10 12:13:22/km 19:40:00/mi
Theresa 2:02:12 12:13:22/km 19:40:00/mi

My personal goal was to be under an hour, but I'm not all that disappointed considering there was a record of 50,746 people we had to share the road with. It was insane! I've never seen so many people! I usually bring a camera so I can keep a record of the year's run, but decided not to this year because we didn't want to do a baggage check. I'm totally knackered today - my hamstrings are shot and my lower back is a bit tight. But it's all gravy baby! I'm so happy we did it - Now bring on the summer!




I also had a great Easter holiday in Grand Forks with the folks - despite my lingering toothache (I was recovering from a root canal all week! Ug!) And I nearly managed to get my entire sweater complete. I'm still finishing up the last sleeve, but I took a break to block the rest of the sweather peices (see pic below - you know you want to!). Stitching it together has proven to be challenging, and I'm trying not to be too hard on myself about my finishing skills. Boy am I getting worried about putting in that zipper - defenitely need to do some research on that one - wish me luck!

Quilting left-overs

Well, before we take off to spend Easter with the in-laws, I thought I'd share a little bit of crafy fun that has been hovering in my corner for quite some time now. I have tonnes of left over fabric from the few quilts that I have made, as well as old jeans and flannel shirts that Harry no longer wears because they were ripped from work. So, here is a little something I came up with by putting them together. It is a fabric notepad holder that holds the paper and pencil and it also features an extra pocket to hold loose papers. Yes, I know. It truly is irresistable - wink wink. But seriously, is there anyone out there who might find this useful? I just wanted to make something small and this is the idea I came up with, I don't know how useful it really will be. But it sure is cute - even if I do need to take some more sewing lessons to learn how to stitch a straight line!






It also gave me the opportunity to use one of my new glass beads as a button. Check it out!



Here is another one I started to work on.




Oh, and in case you are wondering - no, I am not dreading my Easter weekend with the in-laws. In fact I've been looking forward to it for quite awhile now. My in-laws are a hoot and many people will be jealous to hear that I honestly enjoy spending time with them. Yay for me! Ok, gotta go pack now. I have a full weekend of visiting and eating and even knitting ahead of me. Have a wonderful long weekend!

The Magic of Melted Glass

What a fantastic day! Just got back from a beadmaking class that I attended with my friend Kay. We had so much fun - and look at the cool stuff we made! Here are all the beads I made, strung together in all their glory :)



It was so exciting to make glass melt, and then manipulate it in the fire to become something totally new, and wonderful. I have a lot of practicing to do, especially on the dots but I'm really looking forward to that. I've posted a photo of Kay working on her stuff so that you can see what the workstations looked like and how you hold the glass to form the bead. Her and I are both hooked! Just don't put your hand in the flame again, Kay! Ouch!

Fibre Fibre Everywhere!

Oh yes. Bring on the Fibre! Fibre Fest International has arrived!

Last weekend I made the treck all the way to Abbotsford all in the name of wool. And my most wonderful husband was actually happy to join me in the event - even though I know it was nausiating for him to see so many cheezy knitters and spinners all in one location. I think he just felt bad that I would be going alone because I don't know anyone interested enough in fibre to join me in this journey. He's so sweet...awww.

But you should have seen all the fibre - I was in heaven (or my own personal Belize, as Kay will understand). There was every kind of wool you could imagine - roving and spun, dyed and natural. It was also really cool to see all the people spinning with wheels. I have to say, it did inspire me (what is wrong with me!!). I didn't buy much while I was there (I purchased 2 packages of fleeced wool to spin and 1 magazine about spinning). But I did gain a lot of education. I even met someone who gives spinning lessons! Watch out - the spinning nerd is about to emerge! I also saw lots of sheep, lamas and goats and, omigosh, the cutest angora bunnies EVER. I soooo want one...and I will love him and pet him and name him George :)

So, here I am with all my fun toys, trying to figure out the craft of spinning. The co-ordination is tough to get the hang of so I have to practice a lot! Check out the pics. I have a drop spindle which is the simplest way to learn to spin wool. You basically attach the wool to the top and pull it apart as you spin it. That is a simple explanation, but I won't go into it as it will bore those who are not interested (although I'm pretty sure I lost most of you in the first paragraph - I'm such a geek!) I love the new pink stuff. It is 70% merino and 30% angora. Super soft. The white stuff is my very first attempt at spinning - it's pretty lopsided and stringy.

Fifa Street 2 has shipped!

Finally I can post the work that I did for Fifa Street 2, it is in stores which means I can share my portfolio from that cycle. So, for those of you interested, this is what I worked on last summer...



NY Environment




Mexico Environment




Marseilles Environment

Sundays with the Sopranos

Every Sunday we look forward to watching the Sopranos with our good friends Dallas and Nelia. Last week I decided to make a pie to celebrate the event. I haven't baked one is sooo long - fresh homemade pie is a once a year event in our household, so I decided to take a photo. Already I miss the yummy smells of apple and cranberry. This is the most delicious treat ever. What better way to meet with friends and enjoy some good times with the Italian mob. Tony, this pie is for you!