Dyed in the Wool Handmade

This shawl has been completed for a long time, I just needed to weave in a couple of ends and block the thing. So I finally did. I didn’t actually block it on my blocking board, it was way too big, and if I had pinned it to the floor the cats would have parked themselves all over it, so what I did was hang it over a clothesrail along its vertical center, and it blocked itself by its own weight. I might block it again sometime to gain more length along the spine. The shawl contains five skeins of Manos del Uruguay; two brown and three variegated. Here’s the pattern. It’s been keeping my shoulders warm these past few FREEZING May days. It’s damp and grey and cold out there.

Also, here are a few photos from Alex’s birthday.

Last night we took Alex to his first concert, The Cure at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Nicci and Aaron came to pick us up at around 5 and we drove downtown. I brought my knitting (a sock). I was denied entry with my circular needle. Okay, they’re starting to let knitting needles on planes again, but I can’t bring my knitting to a concert venue because it’s too dangerous? Give me a break. Good thing we drove down and that Jeremy could run back to the car for me so I wouldn’t have to toss my needles.

I was relieved to see that most people at the show were about our age, and that lots of people had brought their kids! It was pretty cool. It was also fun to see that some people dusted off their best 80s alterna-goth gear into which they squeezed their aging asses for the evening. Nicci took some photos of the show. We bought our tickets separately (so long ago!) so we ended up sitting across the stadium from each other.

The opening band was new to us, but I loved them. They have a site and a blog, 65 Days of Static (audio).

Today is Alex’s 14th birthday and we sent him to school with some money so he could go out for lunch with his friends. Tonight my family is coming over for dinner. I’m slow-roasting ribs and making cupcakes for dessert. He doesn’t know this, but Natalie and David have bought him an electric guitar and amp, and when he sees it he’s going to FREAK OUT. Happy birthday, Alex! My kid is fourteen. Shit.

Check it out…THAT’S MY YARN!

This is the aftermath of the tree removal from last week. All the greenery that used to be here happened to be on the neighbour’s side of the fence, so he cleared it all away and then cut down a big, beautiful tree that happened to be dying. I just can’t get over it, I’m so upset, because this is what my deck used to look like:

We’re going to have to work out some kind of privacy lattice, hanging plants and things like that to make it look alive again.

This morning Jeremy and I took what’s becoming our usual morning walk around the neighbourhood. I’ve lived here for three years and I still see something new every day. I’m going to start bringing my camera with me so you can all, ahem, enjoy my neighbourhood too. And that’s all I’ll say about that until I have some photos.

Plans for today include getting the lawns mowed (Jeremy), organizing my massive fibre storage fiasco (me) and then heading to my parents’ for dinner, then SNB. I have no idea what to bring with me to knit. I need to finish the hood of Daisy, and then I guess I’m free to cast on something else!