who knew ?

Here you can see sliced, candied oranges.


My chum was making a very Fancy Cake.
who knew oranges could be so pretty,
and made into such a complicated cake ?

the "cream topping" of the cake (as opposed to regular frosting)
went in the "mold" after the oranges - and
then the already-baked-cake went in after that.
then, it had to set. In the refrigerator, over night.



i am very lucky
to live with someone who thinks
that baking Complex, many step cakes
is a lot of fun and a great way to spend time.

Yummmm.

go, team canada

Team Canada is going to have Olympic Jerseys !
well, but of course, as we're an Olympic
knitting team (sponsored by the Needle Emporium!).
We even have a frapper Map (so you can locate
the other team participants!) you can find it at the
Team Canada site.



time to get in shape before the Opening
Ceremonies ... suppose it wouldn't be
good to be less than taut when the
big event starts in just a matter of weeks.

Hmm, maybe this woman can be the
fitness instructor ....

Madonna - Justify My Love

toast & tea

i'm cold.
(well, it's winter) it's time for toast & tea.
my knitting meet in the Neighbourhood was wednesday
night. Lots of fun, and none of us brought cameras.
you'll just have to take my word for it that there
was Knitting. Drinking hot beverages
and lots to talk about.



i've been preparing for the Knitting Olympics.
You can check here for updates on Team Canada
as we Train. Kelly has set up a blog for the team.
And ! There are going to be team sweaters ! isn't
this the BEST ! ?

and now i've just learned about Team Wales.
You just Have to check out this
site ! Thanks to the Brillliant & witty Brenda Dayne.

and i can honestly state that rules number:
4, 5, 9 and 10 apply for me.

And now, something not
necessarily knitting related:

Valentine's day is just a few weeks away.
take this opportunity to tell your friends
what they mean to you.
don't let the card companies (& the rest of the world)
fool you into believing that this is a day for only lovers.

it's not.

Tell your neighbour you love their summer garden.
Tell your coffee-pal how much she/he means to you
and your sanity.

Don't be all shy & wait until
someone's moved to the other
side of the world. Tell your friends how great you
think they are.

book it

hey ! will you look at that~

the yarn harlot's future book is already showing up on the Chapters/indigo site...

Wednesday ...

a quick posting before i go to my
knitting meet tonight:
yes ! i've been to Beautiful Banff.
but just once. and i would so love
to see it in the winter.

Aha! it's 8 balmy degrees celcius in
Baff, Alberta Canada today.
they have no snow at all.

Here in Montreal, Canada we have
snow. and it's snowing right now
as a matter of fact !

Coming soon: Year of the Dog

almost time to say:
Happy Chinese New Year !
it starts January 29.

here's a view of London, England's Chinatown:

Banff

today my chum is flying to Banff.

Ok, to be more accurate, he's flying to Calgary, Alberta
and then going straight to Banff. It's for work.

but you'll never guess how lucky he is - for ALL the place
that you have to travel to for WORK, he's
going to Beautiful Banff ... AND he's going
to stay in the Banff Springs Hotel. Wow.

the Knitting Companion and i wish we were going.

Wow.

cup of tea, anyone ?

Perfect for a cold day:
this porcelain cup is heavenly for green tea.

i see a cup of tea in the very near future.
In knitting news: my right hand is Very sore.
i've been trying to avoid sock knitting in hopes
that my aching hand will calm down. My method
was well meaning, but it hasn't worked. it even
aches when i'm in bed (and not knitting).
Gads.

And for K. in the Comments, i had no
dye-transfer colour problems in any of the
colours i've used for the Araucania wool.
I started with 2 very dark colours -
and now the bright green
one. All knit on bamboo needles. no colour
transfer on clothes, hands or needles.

Edinburgh at Night

Edinburgh at night ... for your visual interest

woollies

there's been some cozy wooly knitting lately.
Above, you can see a deep green project on the needles
with Araucana wool (100%).
This is wonderful wool to work with. It feels like real wool,
not over processed. The colours are great
and the wool is soft and cushy. Wide range of colours.
i've been using the "chunky" version.


Here's the newest colour i've brought home. I couldn't resist:




This bright green wool
(Again, Araucana - chunky - 100% wool)
will become a pair of mittens for me. it's a pattern
from the Sally Melville "purl stitch" book.

inspiration for Sunday

Sometimes it's nice to have a change of scene for inspiration.
Today i leave you with Robert Cresser's Brush shop
on Victoria street in Edinburgh.