Still alive!

Let me start this post with a confession: I have not knit ONE SINGLE, SOLITARY STITCH in THIRTEEN days.

Since my knitting obession really took hold a couple years ago I don't think I have *ever* gone more than 24 hours without at least attempting to knit something...no matter how half-assed the attempt.

Most of you who read here know that I recently bought my first house and have been in the throes of a major move--hence my absence. To say that the move itself was heinous would pretty much be the understatement of the decade (moving sucks for everyone except the rich and famous), and I now find myself mired in oodles of unpacked boxes, tchochkes and miscellaneous crap. Lately I am more "covered in paint" than "tangled up in yarn". In the evenings I find myself too exhausted to knit, not to mention irritated that the living room isn't even effectively set up for me to knit (no good lighting installed yet etc...)

My other embarrassed-to-admit distraction of late:

A Nintendo DS I bought the BF for his 30th birthday. Yes, it's true...I am too game-boyed out to knit of late (secretly I bought it for myself) but after 8 years together I am starting to run out of ideas for him. Even more embarrassing...this is what I've mostly been playing. Possibly even rated one of the top ten worst games? Uh, so bad it's addictively good, says I.

So half-assed are all of my endeavours the last couple of weeks (and only just recently getting the internet/cable/phone hooked up that's really saying something!), that this is the cake I made him:



Yes, just what every manly-man wants...a giant pink cupcake that I was too impatient to even let cool before icing it.

My attention of late was also further diverted by a surprise proposal!



I find the very idea of being engaged a little bit foreign to me. I'm not much of a girlie-girl, and never really fancied myself the marrying kind. Plus after 8 years together... well you know, I have nothing against marriage, it's just weddings that I hate. I figured we would likely (and quietly, subtly) tie the knot at some point, but never in any of that equation did I forsee a proposal on bended knee, a ring, and an "engagement". Is it weird that I feel weirded out? Needless to say, it will probably be the world's looooongest engagement.

But I promise it's a GOOD weird, and naturally I am over the moon! And my man has good taste, doesn't he? The ring is from Matsu, Canadian designer Jennifer Shigetomi. The diamond is set in yellow gold, and the band is white gold.

He did good --I love modern jewellery. It is currently out being re-sized --likely "re-made" actually due to what is apparently my FREAKISHLY small hands. The staff at Magpie were all a twitter as it turns out that my ring finger is a size 3 and a half. Seems it's just a bone with some skin draped over it --who knew? Someone at work joked that getting punched by me would be tantamount to "getting delicately pawed at by a fluffy kitten". Me and my child-sized hands are over. it.

Anyway, that is all I will say on that, probably a bit of snore, because I KNOW you come here for the knitting!

So that said, with a new house comes the quirks of getting used to it's new contents. A washer and dryer to call my very own! No more waiting on felting projects until I can bring laundry to my mom's house. I can wash my own hand-knit socks in my own appliances, I can---er wait a minute--

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WTF?!!!

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It seems my new washing machine decided to EAT my Fleece Artist socks! I've washed these in other washing machines and it's never been any issue. Do I now own the world's most angry and agressive washer/dryer?

People: This is the ONLY pair of socks I have EVER knit. This is seriously, one more reason to hate knitting socks. This may be the final nail in the coffin for me on that score. (though never say never I guess...). My one consolation in the demise of this amazing yarn is that I still have some of it to enjoy in the form of the purl beret,



otherwise I may have had to cloud up and rain all over that stinking machine.

Apart from that I was making really good progress on the Wallis sweater prior to the move, and am hoping that maybe by this weekend I will finally be able to pick it and a couple of smaller items up again, and potentially get this blog back up to speed once more, not to mention reading everyone else's blogs that I am SO far behind on at this point. It is amazing how incomplete my life feels when I don't have the opportunity to catch up with all of you, and how integral the knitting community is to my life these days.

let's never part again!