Best video you'll see today

Presents!

I had an AWESOME day today.

1st out, a big huge Thank you! to Liz, my sockpal! Although your parcel came at the end of last week, I wasn't home yet and couldn't get it until today! Without further ado:


The world's most beautiful kneesocks! They're made of handspun merino, which is softness itself. I adore pink, and these socks just shout out to the world that they're pink! Not weird Barbie pink either, but just a bright, cheery pink you see in wild roses and cherry blossoms. The pattern is so nice too, I just love it! I need to know the stitch pattern.


Another picture of the socks. Aren't they gorgeous?


You'd think that handspun pink kneesocks, would be enough, but my Sockapal went above and beyond! She gave me a little skein (45g) of (I'm guessing) her own handspun, which I'm sure I'm going to knit into a little headband for the fall - or maybe a little neck scarf. There's also two presents from LUSH, the French Kiss bubble bar in the picture, and the You've Been Mangoed! bath melt that is solidifying in the fridge (it got a titch mushy in the car today). I got a cute change purse that will also fit a lipstick, and a bunch of postcards! Thanks Liz, you are the best pal EVER :D

I also got a present from Sean today, as a "yay! you're back!" type gift. He took me to Build-A-Bear Workshop, and I made this:

His name is Sean, and he's wearing khakis, stripey button-up, argyle sweater-vest, and leather shoes. He's asthma and allergy certified, as long as you freeze or wash/dry him every 4 weeks. He makes me squee every time I see him :D

And lastly, the presents I got to send to MY sockpal! Her things are going out tomorrow, in a mass mailing I need to do.

I tried to go Canadian in the package, without being TOO stereotypical. We have my favourite Munsch book (for her kids), a soap made in Winnipeg, two Canadian teas (Maple and Icewine, both made in Toronto), maple syrup candies, and some postcards! I can't wait to mail it off tomorrow.

Today was a great day! I got to go out and do soil sampling, which meant riding on the ATVs (woohoo!) and spending time outside (double woohoo!). Most of our soil was very clayey, but that's to be expected because we're in Northern Ontario. I found some Creeping Snowberry



and gave some to Jeff to taste. It was amusing, although he thought the flavour was OK (usually snowberry tastes like a sour minty flavour) the texture was definitely not to his liking.

We had an enjoyable lunch, and while we were at the creek side taking a sample I found some wild mint!



I picked a quick bunch before we moved on, and while we were waiting at the ATVs for Blaire and Leye I found another massive cluster! So I picked it all and now they're drying on papers on my other bed, drying out for a nice treat this winter. I might go out with Sean in the evening once he gets here and pick LOTS more, it would make good Christmas presents. Wild mint tea is much more flavourful and wonderful than bought tea, and is very sweet.

I can't wait until Sean comes up! He'll be here in two nights, on Thursday. We've also potentially found an apartment, though we need to be approved and sort out a few things. It's got gorgeous hardwood floors though, and is closer to the University. It's much smaller than our current apartment, so we're already working on getting rid of some stuff, and more will be on its way out once I get back to Winnipeg.

Now, I really need to clean up this room in preparation for Sean. No time tomorrow, Wednesdays are for Bingo!

Pictures

ipod cozy I made for Nesha, she just got a new nano for logging core. My own pattern, Bernat Sox "Hippi" on US 0 needles. ~40 sts cast on, k2p2 pattern with 6 stitch/8 row cable, 3 needle bind-off for base.


Socks I'm knitting. Unfortunately the pictures is bad, because I don't know how to work Nesha's camera very well! Socks are in Patons Kroy, using 2.75mm needles and the pattern is "Charade" (marvelous pattern, you'll have to google it!).


Out on the lake eating lunch, on a rock sampling day earlier this summer.


Geoteching core before it's logged with Jeff. It was very, very hot these days.

Sockapalooza 4

Ha! At least the sockapalooza socks are up, so that there's proof I really did finish them! They're waiting to be sent out until I get back to Winnipeg. My pal already knows this and is fine with it *phew!*

Specs:

"Mermaid Pearls"
Sockapalooza 4 socks
Yarn: Bernat Sox "Hippi"
Needles: 2.75mm DPN
Pattern: "Gull Wing Lace" from Socks, Socks, Socks!

OK so I tried to upload pictures of my Sockapalooza socks, new x-mas present FO, and ipod nano cozy. Nothin' doin', unfortunately. The sucky, sucky internet here keeps dropping and I can't get a consistent signal in order to load a picture.

It'll have to wait, maybe in the morning it'll be better.