Party time!

It's the tail end of my summer vacation (we went camping in Keji for a few days and the rest of my holiday was spent reading and knitting. Good times.) and time for show and tell. "What did you do on your summer vacation, Ingrid?" I made an inedible cake.



I picked up The Softies Kit the other day. Unlike Therese Laskey's other softies book, this one comes with supplies: embroidery floss, felt, fiber fill and a pompom -- just enough for making a sweet little party cake!



It looks almost good enough to eat, don't you think?

Swift tutorial!

The best brother ever is doing his part to share his awesomeness with the world. He has posted a tutorial on making your very own swift! See it here.

And maybe you too can have the best brother/husband/boyfriend/Dad ever.

I have the best brother in the world!

I told Nigel about swifts a while back and he was interested in finding out more about them. He went to Hand On Crafts to check out their swift and took several digital photos for reference. One day later, he had a finished product for me!

It's a nice, full-sized swift on a stand (because he couldn't figure out how to make a clamp) made out of maple. It's a little fiddly to get started, but once the skein is on the swift, it's smooth sailing (rather, smooth winding). The swift itself is held up by a CD, a clothespin and a bulldog clip -- a little unorthodox, sure, but it works. I have already wound two skeins and I plan to wind some more this afternoon!

Thank you Nigel! You have no idea how many knitters are drooling with envy!

Mr. P's Sweater: The Reveal!

Way back in January, I finished a sweater for Mr. P's first birthday. I kept it hidden from his Mom and Dad until last week, when Mr. P finally became one year old!

He proved to be quite adept at opening presents.



And here he is, making a funny face, with his new sweater. The funny face is most likely due to the fact that he'll probably have to wait until autumn before he can wear his new sweater.



And finally, a full shot of the sweater.



I can't wait to see the little guy wearing this! Happy Birthday Mr. P!

I met Lolly!

Several months ago, Lolly posted this photo in her Flickr photostream. Right away, I asked her to consider visiting Yarmouth so we could meet in person. I've been reading her blog ever since I started knitting in the round (circa Nov 2006) and we had e-mailed back and forth a few times. When she said she'd love to come to Yarmouth, I started scheming. I knew that she and Kris were outdoors-y types, and since my Dad is the "Tern Man," I thought they might like to see Canada's largest colony of the endangered Roseate Terns. Dad agreed to take them out for a ride on the boat as assistants to monitor the colony.

Since I'm a bad blogger, I didn't get any shots of Lolly and Kris on the North Brother (the island the Roseate Terns call home), but I did pull out my camera when we reached our second destination, Gooseberry Island, just off the coast of Argyle Sound. There were lost of cormorants, a prehistoric-looking bird that kills tress with its poo. (I know, it sounds charming.)



And we saw baby Black-backed gulls. They were so fluffy and cute! Too bad they turn into dirty, garbage-eating seagulls. Dad encouraged Lolly to pick up one of the chicks, but he neglected to warn her that they "squirt" when they're nervous. Poor Lolly had a handfull of gull poo. (Another charming image, no?)



The island also has a small flock of sheep. Dad, being the witty guy that he is, proclaimed them "Marino sheep." This little guy was a little too slow to keep up with his Mum, so he stuck around while we photographed him. I think he may have been a little gimpy too . . . his front legs buckled under him a few times.



After the boat ride, we went to see the 17 windmills at Pubnico Point.



Then we visited Le Village Historique acadien de la Nouvelle-Écosse, where we ate homemade molasses cookies, played an old pump organ, admired antique quilts, learned about lobster plugs, and . . .



. . . saw piglets! There was a sign warning that "Pigs Bite!" but, frankly, I don't think this guy could bite very hard. Interesting tidbit: Kris speaks piglet-ese. Every time he snorted, the pigs would run over to him.



The next day, we had breakfast at the Old World Bakery (I go there every Saturday morning) with Blogless Annie!



And then, the required stop at Hands On Crafts. Apparently we get giddy when we're surrounded by yarn!



Lolly picked up several skeins of Briggs and Little (the pride of New Brunswick) yarn for a sweater, I had a couple of gift certificates so I got the Lady of the Lake (ravelry)Fleece Artist kit and Blogless Annie bought some roving for her thrummed mitts.

I had so much fun with Lolly and Kris. I wish they lived closer (I tried to sell them Blogless Annie's house, but they wouldn't bite) so we could hang out more often! Lolly and I have so much in common (we both happen to be major klutzes, so we shared stories about broken bones and bruises) and Kris is really witty (dark humour, anyone?).

Enjoy the rest of your vacation in Nova Scotia guys and come back soon!