A Trip to the CNE

Most of my memories of the Canadian National Exposition (CNE) revolve around alpacas and getting horribly sunburnt whilst watching very loud aeroplanes do interesting things. This year despite the clouds in the sky that morning I slathered sun cream on my face just before we headed out to the Go Train. I was taking no risks on that front.

This visit was only my second. Last time we had eaten from the Ribfest trucks but this time we vowed to try any weird things we came across within our budget so we headed straight to the food vans and the food building. We had:

• Octopus tacos
• Bison poutine
• Pineapple in a pineapple husk
• Coconut in a coconut husk
• Churros

Okay, churros aren’t weird but I had never tried them before so they go on the list. The octopus was strangely delicious too even if you could see the little suckers.

The pineapple and coconut was a hilarious attempt at feeling tropical in the frankly substandard weather (what the eff, Toronto) so we found a little splotch of sand to sit on while we drank it.

It didn’t look very tropical out there… but it tasted it.

Of course the highlight of the whole thing for me was the alpacas. I cannot voice how amazing and cute I think these creatures are. Even when one of the funkiest ones sat and stared at me with obvious revile in its eyes. I forgive you, alpaca. We also watched one man poking and pulling another alpaca’s tail persistently, so I don’t blame these particular beasts for not wanting curious humans to get too close.

BUT I JUST WANT TO HUG THEIR FACES OKAY.

LOOK AT THAT FACE. LOOK AT IT.

I wish my haircut was that groovy.

The CNE is an entertaining place. The arts and craft building is glorious although I took no photos. Plus somewhere (cannot remember where) there were beautiful stalls full of real pashminas that made me embarrassingly express to Nari an interest in fashioning a large nest completely out of soft, highly-decorated fabrics and spending the rest of my days curled up in it. What? I’m very texture-orientated, okay?

Thankfully at no point in the day did I burn horribly. Even better, none of the foods gave us food poisoning. The CNE was just as fun and far less painful as I remember.

Though unfortunately Nari wouldn’t let me bring home one of the alpacas.

Vastra and Jenny: Shut Up About Them, Please

The new season of Doctor Who is upon us and it is glorious. There is so much to be excited about; a new Doctor, a new Clara (in terms of being fleshed out and interesting rather than a plot point), lots of darkness.

Of course Doctor Who fans are notorious for not liking anything that ever happens on the show to the point of it being sort of impressive the show has gone so long and remained so popular. Every time there’s a new Doctor people freak out. Every time there’s a new companion the same thing happens. Considering the show is, at its core, completely about change why are people so shocked when it happens?

Gay, gay, gay.

This time, however, it’s not bemoaning Capaldi’s Doctor that is the trend. It is pointing out how Madam Vastra and Jenny are in a lesbian marriage and not at all subtle about it. I need to be clear here: they think it’s a bad thing, or at best a piece of clumsy writing.

Let me get this out there right away: no one would care if they were a heterosexual couple. Seriously. No one is annoyed at Zoe and Wash for being so obvious about their relationship. We see them naked and everything! How dare they flaunt their sexuality like that! Why, Firefly may as well be a porno for all that post-marital kissing!

The people who protest against this don’t think they’re being homophobic but guys, they really are. You know what is more annoying than a not-subtle same-sex relationship? Being told well after the books finished that Dumbledore was gay which means absolutely zilch when it’s not included in the text. You know what? Same-sex marriage is a big thing in the world right now. It’s important. It’s on people’s minds. These things don’t have to be radical and/or between the lines now.

As for it being clumsy writing? Please. Explain that to me.

Because all I’m hearing is “But they’re too GAY! Why are they FLAUNTING it!”.

So please shut up about Madam Vestra and Jenny’s relationship. Unless you’re commenting on how awesome they are and/or where to find veils like that.

Or at least come up with an original reason not to like them.

Thursday Follow pt 4

Follow Thursday is an offering to anyone looking for good knitting and craft-related blogs to peruse. Check out the tag on the post to see previous ones.

First up today we have The Twisted Yarn who has been MIA for a while so I’m pleased to see her posting again. Quite aside from having the most awesome blog banner ever (seriously I love it) she’s super sweet and very talented.

The Weekend Knitter is one of those blogs always filled with such pretty pictures. Scrolling through the posts is always a joy. It makes me want to reach through and pet the pretty things that are posted.

A blog I recently discovered is D’Nali: The Diary. I have a supreme soft spot for people who share not only their crafting prowess but also their real lives and opinions. Especially when they’re witty and entertaining!

Aaaah, guys. There are so many awesome blogs out there I get a little overwhelmed. Why are there so many interesting and talented people out there?

Not that I’m complaining. It would make this post a lot harder if there weren’t.

Wonderful Things

There are many reasons to be happy these days. I am finally living where I was always meant to be with the woman I have loved my entire adult life (and a large chunk of my teens, too). We are surrounded by fantastic animals who brighten up my day with cuddles and long walks. I have access to two brilliant yarn stores even if I can’t really afford yarn right now (which is okay because I still haven’t used my Wollmeise). Marvel is spewing out movies and comics left, right and centre which makes me a happy bunny.

Point is: life is pretty good.

It helps that the internet is so full of interesting things lately. My complete and utter obsession with Welcome To Night Vale has been the highlight of that and I’ll be writing a post on just why you should be listening to it if you’re not already, especially if you’re queer and/or a surreal horror fan like myself.

Art by Elicadragon

One such wondrous thing I have discovered is that Jasika Nicole, the awesome and adorable lady who played Astrid Farnsworth in the epic series Fringe, not only voices Intern Dana on Welcome to Night Vale but also is an amazing comic artist. It’s heavy on queer representation and is totally sweet in the most glorious way so go read Closetalkers immediately.

Times like these make me wonder what I would be like without the internet being around as it has been. I would never have met my lovely girlfriend so would (presumably) still be living in England. Deeper still, I might not have realised I’m gay for a lot longer. Willow and Tara’s kiss gave me a slight clue but without furious internet searches about homosexuality as a result, where would I be?

Of course I would still be a complete geek but without easy access to other fans of similar things, would I feel like a freak for getting so obsessed over things like podcasts and comics? Not that podcasts would exist!

And knitting. Would I have taken to it so strongly without a community and pattern database like Ravelry to egg me on and push me forward? Without knitting blogs to read? Without youtube to teach me how to do a long-tail cast on?

I know people still managed these things long before the internet came around and I know I would have managed fine anyway. It’s just strange to think how differently I would have found my path if I had grown up in a time where we didn’t have the internet. Especially since I almost missed it, generationally speaking: I still remember the dial-up creaking and blipping!

The world is full of wondrous things and the internet reflects that. I guess today I’m just feeling especially glad to have this community. So thank you, people who read and comment and post their own awesome stuff. You make my path much clearer.

Thursday Follow pt 3

Here I am again offering up some blogs for you to peruse at your leisure, hand-picked from the embarrassingly large amount I read. I mean, looking at my search history you might think I’m some kind of knitting fanatic or something. Ahem.

Of course ‘fanatic’ doesn’t quite cover it in reality. I spend a lot of time reading and writing about knitting. As it stands I’m fairly certain I spend more time actually knitting, especially since I knit while I read knitting blogs half the time.

Please tell me I’m not the only one.

Okay. Onto this week’s blogs.

First there’s Hard Knit Life. This is a recent discovery of mine but I’m enjoying the posts. Amongst pictures showing some real talent there are also posts with some lovely technique tips. What more could you want?

Then we have So Knit Some. I think the word best suited to this blog is elegant. I truly enjoy scrolling through her well-put-together posts and reading snippets of her life among her creations. Absolutely lovely.

The final blog today is one most of you will know and if you don’t, you need to. That’s right: Yarn Harlot. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee is pretty much the patron saint of knitting. Her blog is made of sheer delight. I’ve been reading it for years and she never bores me.

Compiling these links makes me realise how lucky us knitters and crocheters are to have such a wonderful community around us. So many people with so much passion pouring out onto the page. It really makes me proud to have carved out my own little piece of this niche and it’s no wonder I spend so much time reading knitting blogs when there are so many good folk out there writing them!

Thursday Follow pt 2

There are so many wonderful blogs out there, how do you even know where to start? Well, if you’re looking for some awesome knitting and craft themed blogs to peruse today, look no further. I’ve been harvesting the grooviest of folks since I realised it’s quite selfish to keep them all to myself.

Also my knitting progress is woefully unexciting. All sock all the time. I am really close to abandoning them; I don’t even like the yarn! But I do adore the pattern I’ve written and will be publishing it. Since that requires a finished object to photograph, I doggedly knit on.

Anyway. Awesome people coming right up.

Erin of Crosstitchery is a charming person. Our exchanges have been minimal but she made an impression. On top of that her blog is freaking adorable and she is talented in a varied and interesting way. I love clicking through her posts.

All She Wants to Do Is Knit is such an apt name. Who can’t relate to that? On top of the catchy name, she also posts photographs of her very impressive knitting skills and some really nice introspective stuff once in a while. I’m a big fan.

Another lovely knitter is Ways to Knit Forever. One thing I have to say about her is that she is SUPER productive compared to my slow pace and I’m always impressed and happy to read her posts. It’s another name about constant knitting too – I sense a theme!

So go check them out, they’re worth it.

In geekier news I just have to add that I am super excited about Guardians of the Galaxy this weekend and may in fact do a themed pattern collective next week. I am genuinely considering a post entirely consisting of raccoon patterns… because Rocket.

And also because of a lifelong fascination with the creatures, but mostly Rocket.

What are you guys looking forward to at the moment?

Thursday Follow

This week has been slow on the knitting front so instead of WIPs I’ll share a couple of my favourite fellow knitting bloggers.

First up there’s Peacefully Knitting, one of two bloggers I enjoy enough to always read their new posts as they arrive in my email inbox no matter where I am at the time. Tina posts beautiful pictures (she’s into Zentangling right now which is fun) and always seems to have something interesting to say.

She’s one of those knitters that inspires me to keep going and get better since her knitting is absolutely gorgeous. Look at her most recent creation here which is simple yet stunning.

The second I’m sharing today is Knit the Hell Out, another seriously talented knitter who always inspires me. I read her posts with excitement every time to see what gorgeous creations she’s going to show off today. Cassy is one of those interesting and varied people who grabs your attention, just what you need in a blogger!

Have a gander at this adorable top she knitted recently. Absolutely lovely.

I’m very lucky to be in a community of people with some very talented individuals. All you have to do is take a look at all the skilled knitters who blog and there’s inspiration right there!

Demon and Self-Striping Yarn

It’s been a bad week.

Last Saturday I was quite happily sitting in the Knit Studio with the usual charming company when I happened to check my email. There was one from my Dad entitled ‘Demon’, which is the name of my gorgeous (and young) black cat. I assumed it would be photos of him since Dad knows how much I miss him and the other cats.

It wasn’t. It was an email saying Dad came home to find Demon paralysed in both his legs. He had an embolism and was put down almost immediately. Dad was too upset to phone me and tell me.

He was four.

Demon’s the one on the right with the biggest eyes. The other is Tiger, who is fine.

This photo makes Demon look like he has different coloured eyes. He didn’t.

Of course, this totally threw me. I moved away from my hometown for a multitude of reasons, mostly that it makes me effing crazy. My Dad takes good care of our cats and loves them dearly; they are a huge part of his life and he dotes on them. Most of the time I ask Dad how he is and he promptly tells me how the cats are doing. Except for the male thing, he’s totally a crazy cat lady.

So I’m torn up over Demon dying so young, over Demon dying alone at the vets, and at Dad having to deal with that.

Add in some other stresses and let’s just say I haven’t had the best week in my life.

Someone suggested I buy some yarn to cheer myself up which, let’s face it, is not a suggestion I’m likely to turn down. Fortunately for my bank balance I had left my purse at home with my debit card and only had 10 quid on me; 4 of which I had already spent. I bought a skein of self-striping yarn because it was cheap and because I haven’t tried it before.

Guys, it is MAGICAL.

I didn’t realise how much FUN it would be! I went to my friend Lucy’s house for the evening and spent it knitting this. I’m making it without a pattern, just plain stockinette with lots of decreases for my skinny wrists. I’m probably going to write up the pattern later when they’re finished. I adore the muted colours in the yarn and how even though it’s just stockinette it’s still totally exciting.

It has taken my mind off the horrible events last week and though I am still upset, at least I have my knitting to distract me.

Related articles

• Too Little Yarn? (ontheyarn.wordpress.com)
• A Fear of Pretty Yarn (majorknitter.typepad.com)
• NEW from Polkadotsheep: Crown Jewel Hat & Learn Entrelac KAL (polkadotsheep.wordpress.com)
• Beginners, Cast Off Those Training Wheels! (sweatyknitter.com)
• Surprise Yarn! (measuredandslow.com)

Doctor Who Knitting Patterns

For my fellow Whovians out there I thought I’d bridge the gap between the epic finale of season 7 and the 50th Anniversary extravaganza with my favourite Doctor Who patterns. Let’s face it, we’re all going to be flailing like mad things when the next episode airs so we’ll need the appropriate geeky knitted goods to celebrate.

Let’s hope it’s a little cooler in the UK by then before we all develop Dave’s Syndrome.

Knitting Lace

I’m always a little bit stunned when I see intricate lace pouring out of the needles of a friend/fellow knitter. It’s not that I don’t understand how it’s done because I do; knitting at its basic structure is merely a careful arrangement of string and with lace all you do is add in a few holes to the mix. Intricate but ultimately quite simple to understand. The complicated thing, and this is where I fall over, is keeping track. I can’t do it. I can’t keep track of where I am when I’m knitting anything more than a two-row lace pattern because I am easily distracted.

This, of course, is unacceptable. I want to make pretty things!

So the other day when my wonderful girlfriend treated me to a skein of yarn at my local yarn store (Kniterary in Whitby, ON. I do not live in Whitby any longer but I love it best) I chose some cotton I’d had my eye on recently. The owner of the LYS had been knitting a gorgeous stole/shawl thing at the last knit night made of a lovely lustrous yellow cotton and I coveted it. It turned out to be Cascade Ultra Prima. I’m learning to love Cascade.

After gratuitously groping the sea silk while I was there, I selected the rich ruby red. I wanted to do something drapey and perfect for spring which seems to be just around the corner.

I found this collection of vintage stitch patterns from Fitter Knitter. I bounced with joy, since none of the patterns I found on Ravelry were doing much for me (for a change). I had a very specific idea of what I wanted in my head so I went through the stitches and found one that looked vaguely like wings and started knitting it into a scarf.

This is the pattern I chose. In red, the stitches are not so winglike – it also doesn’t help that I’ve gone wrong a couple of times and thrown off the pattern. Not that I let it stop me. If I realise I’ve forgotten a stitch (usually a YO – yarn over for those who don’t knit) I just make another stitch in the next row. Yeah. I’m very imprecise in my knitting sometimes. I’m definitely not one of those who will frog an entire project for one tiny mistake. It would need a huge structural mistake for me to do that.

The yarn is knitting up perfectly. I can’t stop staring at it.

Once daylight rolls around and I’m not working through the entirety of it, I’ll take a picture and try to capture the gorgeousness of the red lustrous cotton. It’s unlikely I’ll manage. It may be my new favourite yarn for now.

Until I get my hands on some sea silk that is.