Randomly on a Thursday

1. This morning Joe and I got up at 6am and got our scene together, and went to the airport. We have a coffee maker where you pour the beans into it, and then it makes one cup of coffee at a time. This morning, I got the only cup of coffee in the house before it ran out.

2. Joe is pretending not to care but I think it is a strain on our relationship.

3. Not as much as a strain as it would be if he got the last cup, I think.

4. I knit at the meeting last night but I didn’t finish a sock.

5. That puts me a little behind but I am trying not to panic because today is a new day.

6. The Tool Box Cowl is bigger but still not done but I hope today is the day because I am sort of panicking about that one. I can handle a single day where I don’t meet a deadline, but two days in a row could start to be a trend.

toolboxplane-2016-12-08-1

7. We’re in Quebec City and it is properly cold and snowy.

8. Gifts for knitters: Day 8.  (See what I did there?) No matter what your knitter is in to, knit wise, they need to block their knits.  How they block things is going to depend a lot on what they make, but there’s some stuff that’s useful to everyone.  For sure, your knitter would find a use for a blocking mat (they roll up and don’t take much space) or a set of these foam tiles that lock together.*  (They’re a little less chic, but it’s super cool that you can put them together into the shape you want. If your knitter makes everything from sweaters to scarves to shawls, that could be a plus.) Toss in some T-pins, and you’re good.  If your knitter makes lace, then they might love a kit with wires. This Inspinknity set is good (and there’s several types there.) This set is just fine, and I’ve owned this set forever. (I actually own those, and the Inspinknity ones, and use them together often.)  If you’re the handy type of non-knitter, you could totally make your knitter a set of blocking wires, and they’d love it.  They appreciate things you make yourself, it’s totally what they’re into. I promise

*Yes. If you think you saw some foam floor tiles like that at the Home Depot or Canadian Tire, you’re right. They’re the same. Can totally be cheaper if you find them on sale. Do it.

35 thoughts on “Randomly on a Thursday

  1. Wow – almost a while week of posts. Love it!! I have faith you will finish all the knitting on time…..I think…..

  2. The cowl looks beautiful! What lovely colors!

    Break a leg getting the knitting finished in time. I know if anyone can do it, you can. : )

  3. and don’t they have coffee at the airport (and on the plane)….poor Joe. Love the blocks that work like puzzle pieces – toy stores have them cheap as kids play mats.

  4. The coffee at the airport is crappy and the coffee on the plane is worse. Poor Joe. But I think you’re right, the coffee went to she who needed it most.

    Loving the gifts for knitters, as usual. But you’re making me nervous about how close Christmas is. And I’ve just added some charity knitting to my pile (along with a baby sweater I haven’t started yet…). For a laugh (a bittersweet one, I’ll grant), check out http://www.pussyhatproject.com. My first hat is about half done, and I have a friend who’s on her third (maybe more, that was yesterday).

    • Ann, I’m knitting a hat for this charity as well. Sewing up the side seams on my first one. A quick knit during a busy season 🙂

  5. Canadians, I find foam tiles like that at Dollarama. They’re not as big, but they’re perfect if your knitter makes small projects more often than big ones, and if you’re on a tight budget.

  6. When we went on our post-wedding trip (aka honeymoon), we were told to be at the airport at 5 AM for a 6:00 flight so had we decided to skip making coffee at home and just get some at the airport. Turns out they didn’t open the security gates until 5:30, so we had a mad dash to get to our designated spot and no time to buy coffee, but we said to each other we would get some on the plane. Get all settled into our seats and it is announced over the PA system that to be able to load enough fuel to fly all the way to Honolulu without having to stop for more, they hadn’t filled the water and there would be no coffee available on the flight that day, but since it was a charter, booze was free. We have never, ever counted on getting coffee at an airport since that debacle 33 years ago.

  7. Knitter’s Pride Knit Blockers are a game changer if you have never used them. It’s like using 4 or 8 t-pins at once and saves a ton of time. I use them in addition to my wire set and single t-pins, but it’s the tool I go to first when blocking. They also look cool. The first time I saw them in a knit shop I thought they were some sort of game set. Here is a link on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Knitters-Pride-Knit-Blockers-Set/dp/B00MBZWPKK

  8. This was what I needed to feel better about the state of my Christmas knitting. I was so proud of myself during November. I was sure I was ahead of the game. My 3 Aunts were getting felted purses and a Cousin was getting a felted tote. The tote still needs the straps attached and the 3rd purse needs ends woven in. All 4 still need to be felted, but I’m still concerned about the fact that we now have a low agitation washer. I’m thinking a trip to the Laundromat is the answer. I have Mom’s scarf still on the needles and just need some dedicated knitting time on it. But of course I started another project that isn’t a Christmas gift. I should probably knit some before bed.

  9. Welcome to Québec Steph! Have a great time in my town and try to find the time to take a walk around Old Québec and Quartier Champlain, they’re glorious at this time of the year! 🙂

  10. I’m knitting little things — no, not baby stuff, mitts, scrubbies and hats. Last night, after I’d started the crown decreases on a hat for a friend who’s lost his hair to chemo, I tried it on. Now I’m hoping his head really IS bigger than mine . . . It’s acrylic, so I can hope frequent spins in the dryer will help. Last year, I planned better; this year, I boosted my number of projects for Wool-Aid, my favorite stash-busting charity.
    Come Dec. 25, I’ll pick up a sock-in-progress again — my little gift to myself.

  11. Have a great trip. The Funiculaire is the best $2.25 spent, especially if the stairs are snowy or icy. Our favourite hotel is Le Clarendon, a 3-minute walk from the Chateau and Starbucks in the Chateau. The best tiny and fun rooms are 608 and 609 with a great view of the Chateau. Have fun and stay safe.

  12. I found the larger floor tiles (2 ft squares, set of 4) at Aldi last summer for US$9.99. These were one of the special purchase items, not normally carried. Why I got them, I don’t remember since I’ve still not learned to knit enough to block anything.

    Stay safe skiing!

  13. Warning about the tiles: I bought some at Target a few years ago and they had a really strong rubber smell. The ones I ordered from a knitting site are just fine and no smell at all…

  14. You can do it. You are absolutely the inspiration for my own Christmas spreadsheet. It starts in July and runs from year to year. The year I started reading your blog, you nailed it and you finished early. It was my aspiration, and I’m (mostly) getting there. I know you’ve had a few hiccups (the virus year obviously doesn’t count) but they’re just hicccups. Your system must work, because I’ve adopted it and if it stops working I’m screwed! (I have to be completely done by December 15, because I am a single parent of an insomniac child who hates to be alone, and thus after December 15, I will not be alone until January 4th. And our big family party is the FIRST weekend in December, so mostly it works for me. I just have about half the wrapping to go, and I’m finished. I live in dread that the insomniac child will get ill in the last week of term and scupper all my secret plans by staying home from school – it happened one year – so I’m feeling my deadline!)

  15. This recalls the time Joe bought the decaffeinated coffee beans. Not that this karma or anything, he is far too kind of a soul to deserve this. Have a geat getaway.

  16. Here’s something I just ran across and pass along as a candidate for the next Gifts for Knitters posting. A special gift indeed: Bohus knitting sweater kits from the Bohuslans museum in Sweden. 50/50 angora/merino ( hand dyed angora from local bunnies), and the patterns recreated old charts and preserved garments. They’re beautiful. http://www.bohuslansmuseum.se/en/produkter/?store_category=knitting

    For anyone not familiar, the inspiring story of Bohus knitting is here: http://www.bohuslansmuseum.se/en/collections-and-history/bohus-knitting-1939-1969/
    oh, and the kroner is at about 8 cents Cdn, 11 cents US.

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