MondayLunchCrew

We asked G's friend John to take some photos us. This way, we can get some shots where Flour is in the same photo as G and myself. To date, most of the photos are of G and Flour since I'm the photographer of the family. Here's one of Flour and I that I like, a candid shot of me giving Flour a hug. Yes, she just takes it.

Labels: Flour, Westie

In case you haven't checked Flour's photo set of late, there's some recent photos of Flour.

Labels: Flour, Westie

Back on September 17th, we went to join in the fun at the Westie Walk.

It's run by Westie Rescue of Canada and it's a fundraiser for the group. Flour had so much fun and we did too hanging around 40 some Westies and their owners. There were games and Flour won a prize for being the youngest Westie.

I took film photos for a change and just recently got them developed. Here's the photos on my flickr set. The Slideshow. Yes, some of the photos, it's a little "Where's Waldo" like with Flour, so I've made a note of where she is when it's not obvious.

The official photos. We got there late and didn't get our official photos done.

I can't wait until the 2007 walk.

Labels: Flour, Westie

It's been very dark in the morning when I wake up since the sun usually has not yet risen. This is going to brighter when we change the Daylight Savings time this weekend.

But before this change, I did get a photo of the sunrise this morning:

If you live in an area that observe this DST change, what are you going to do with the extra hour?

I'll likely sleep if Flour will let us, but it's nice to think about what the extra hour means: more reading, sleep, stitching, knitting, tv watching, ... just more time for what ever you need more of. Enjoy!

Labels: Flour, Photography, Westie

I was away back in New York visiting my friends this past long weekend. While I was away, G took some photos of Flour. Here are the great photos:

Look how dirty she is with those brownish paws.

I'm the cutest dog ever!

Expect to see some NY photos in future blog entries.

Labels: Flour, Westie

I just went to walk Flour and hand to run back since it started to storm snow!

A lot of wind and snow blowing sideways like it was January instead of October. But it's so typical of Canada... there's always snow before Halloween. And if you're unlucky, you're in your costume and has to trick or treat in below zero weather and snow. Hopefully that won't be this year.

The weather website didn't quite know what to call this:

It lasted not even five minutes and it was gone. The sky is sunny again. I did get a couple of shots. Click on the photo to see a bigger view.

Labels: Flour, Westie

Here's the photo of the sweater being worn. Very comfortable for the fall.

And while I'm at it, let's pose for a photo with Flour!

Labels: Flour, Westie

Finally got this one done. It's all ready to be worn in this fall. Nice.

The Details

• Pattern: Adrienne Vittadini Vol 15 Pattern #5: Cabled Sleeve Pullover.
• Yarn: Mission Falls 1824 Wool Colour: 002
• Needles: #8 Denise circular
• Modifications: Not much, needed to extend the width of it by about 2 inches. Either it's a gauge issue or a pattern misread.
• Completion Date: 3rd week of September, 2006.
• Lessons:
  • Make sure to check the yardage on substitute yarns just in case. As it turns out, I did over estimate enough in my purchasing, but I was left with so little that I worried about finishing the piece and had to order more yarn. It was not a good experience to have to wait and have to search for it. So, must do better next time.
  • The sweater is more cropped on me than on the model... it may be a stockinette stitch knitted sideways issue or an issue with sweaters knitted sleeve to sleeve, will have to be more careful on the width (length) in the future. This looks cute, but as it may stretch over time, it may become an issue.
  • To make my sewing up easier, I've got to try to remember to work in some selvages.
  • The 'roll' on the sweater may start to drive me crazy, will have to put in some stabilizing stitches in the future.
  • While the sweater would have been too small the width it was before I fixed it, it is rather big now since after blocking, it's not as crumpled. I have to add stitches on the shoulders to make sure it's not too big and will fall off the shoulder which may get annoying. After all, it's not the 80's.
• Will I make it again? Not the pattern as is. I liked working a sweater side to side so that I can try it out as I knit, but I'd take into account some of the above and would like to make a modify version of the sweater.

And of course, any attempt to photograph anything on the carpet, will cause Flour to come and claim it as her own...

Flour! Off. Off. Get off my sweater. [Nudge] It's mine. Not everything is yours. Get off, that's mine. [Pick up dog off of sweater. Put sweater on a higher surface. Flour promptly loses all interest.]

Labels: Flour, Knitting, Westie

She was good enough to sit for me for a few minutes while I photographed her last week. Here are the photos.

Here's a preview:

Labels: Flour, Westie

Labels: Flour, Westie

I made the effort of laying out the on going sweater for the blog. It's nearly done. It's getting to the stage where I'm about to decrease and start on the 2nd sleeve. But nothing in this house can be laid out on the carpet without a visitor coming by to check it out.

We see here, the left sweater sleeve and body. The sweater is knit from side to side in one piece. I love making a sweater this way. The worst part has always been sewing up and this time, I won't have to do much of that.

Very quickly, visiting the sweater became lying on sweater. I guess this means when one day I make her, her own blanket she'll like it.

Labels: Flour, Knitting, Westie

Flour was very bad and while I was working decided to attack a power cable. I was concentrating on work for a few minutes and then heard her growling. When I looked to see why, I discovered the badly chewed up cable; still plugged into both the power transformer of my hard drive and the power bar. I think she gave herself a shock. She could have killed herself. Here is said cable: I immediately contacted technical support for the product explaining that the power cord is a fire hazard and would like to find out how to get a new one since my dog chewed up the old one. They wrote back quickly and told me that they can send me a new one and it's in the mail. I'll have to see how long before it gets here. Hopefully soon since they have a branch just on Dufferin St. in Toronto. I'll report when it gets here and let you know of the product and company. In the mean time, I'm watching Flour like a hawk to make sure she doesn't go after any more cords.

Labels: Flour, Westie

Too busy to really fill in the details, but here's two recent photos. My sweater in the process of being sewn up. Flour in the background and my new French books on the table. There was a few hours of clear day light this week from the rain and here's a shot of the Toronto Skyline from the balcony. We're not that close, it's a big zoom lens.

Labels: Flour, Westie

This weekend, we watched Aeon Flux and Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. While I enjoyed TLTW&TW, I cannot help but compare it with the BBC miniseries. Just like when I was watching The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. In both cases, I did like the BBC version more and in the case of hitchhikers, I thought they did a good job and loved the knitted dolls. With that my sweater has been growing nicely. On April 30th morning, this is what I've got done, and what it looks like before tonight's knitting. Please excuse the inconsistent colour. And for my Flour's fans, some recent photos from this past weekend:

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Today I went for a the first bike ride of the season. I was much aggregated by allergies and the short (very short) ride was very pathetic since I am so out of shape. But it was a good start, and it was fun and got me finish my errands at the bank and post office quicker than walking.

Labels: Flour, Westie

Yes about two weeks late, but better late than forgotten. Flour went and got her haircut at the breeder's about two weekends ago. Margaret starts doing all the cutting and we discovered that Flour had a long tail under all that fur, and TOEs! Who knew she had such a long neck. She's very pretty. She got a big girl haircut just like for shows and she looked very West Highland White Terrier no mistake about it! Here are some photos from last week (since I was too busy to take any right after her grooming.) And of course, I go there with my video camera like any good doggie mommy and what do I do? I left the video cassette behind! AAhhh!! First G wouldn't believe that I lost it since he's convinced that whenever I lose things, it means I stored it too well. But this time, I did lose it. (Yes, I admit it, almost all the other times he was right.) Margaret kindly mailed it back to us and I got it back last week thank goodness.

Labels: Flour, Westie

I've been doing a lot of CSS for work lately and decided to put some of the skills to use and give the blog a minor facelift. I was getting rather bored with the old look. For those looking for major CSS inspiration, check out CSS Zen Garden. I'm so impressed by what people have been doing with such a simple page and get so much out of it. That's skills. My favourite one of late has got to be Mozart. I love how as you scroll the page, the background music shows through the positioning of the boxes. Very nicely done. I've finished the sock that's show here in progress on Sunday morning. Then I sat around and didn't do any knitting for a few days and just started it's mate yesterday. I'm uncertain how I like the colours of this sock, but it was worth a try. You don't know until you actually knit it to see if you like it. I've got a bunch of other colours and patterns to try out coming up. I'm looking forward to it. Flour in the past couple of weeks has had a real breakthrough and seems to overnight understand the concept of being house broken. So, our lives are a little easier. We've been going out to dinner with friends, leaving her at home and coming home to NO accidents! Ah... we can see the light. She's been losing all her baby teeth, and it's rather gross to find bloody teeth here and there and bloody toys lying about. We're not in the clear yet, she still has accidents but she can be trusted to run around on the carpet without much supervision. Here's a recent photo of her with one of her newer toys. Ringu has since suffered terribly by being shredded and bled on. At least one of the rings in this three ring toy will have to be tossed out in the next day or two if it last that long! She's getting groomed this weekend, so I'll put up some cuter nicely groomed photos of her after that.

Labels: Flour, Web, Westie

I figured that I need to give some progress on what I've been up to craft wise. Here's the cross stitch piece that I've been working on. The John Clayton Paris piece, almost 50% done: And on the knitting front, I've been working on a vest in Lion Brand Woolease quick and thick, it's moving fast, here's the back and front as of last night. The front is nearly done today. Soon, piecing together and working the neck and armbands. I needed to work on something quick and cheap and this sure fits the bill. I'll have the vest in time to wear for the spring. The Back: The Front: That's it! Quick Flour photo, she's just had her spay surgery and she's in a lot of pain and is rather cranky. This photo is from before her surgery:

Labels: Cross-Stitch, Flour, Westie

I sew up the toe and put it on to model. Flour stares in wonder. You know it's coming, the next two photos are fuzzy for obvious reasons. Right after this, she jumps out of the crate (which she only have done twice in weeks.) for my sock. And here's the scratching and biting. ah... what fun. Sock two was a success and it's thrilling. Today's task, rip up sock one and start it again. So far, so good.

Labels: Flour, Westie

I finally got around to putting up a few more Flour photos, not much but haven't had much time to work on them. Of course, I know my priority is the sock. Right now, toe decreases... should finish sock one today and have sock two started. I am so ripping and reknitting sock 1 since somehow last night while chatting with my family, dropping needles, cleaning up after Flour's accidents, I managed to have messed up the decreases. Shocking!

Labels: Flour, Knitting, Westie

So, yesterday, I ripped up the whole sock, and cast on again and started it again. Then when we got to the heel, (haha, I typed hell at first) I went and dug up more sock patterns all over the place in my knitting magazines and found other patterns. I read the other patterns and realized that I was reading my pattern wrong! All you need is something to be put in another way and it makes more sense. I go back to my pattern, read it again and then realized that I was making it harder than it was supposed to be! agh! I proceed on to the heel when G comes home, so that he can watch Flour as I work. He get caught up in a movie and I'm invested in my sock. Just as I am finishing the heel flap, Flour has an accident. So, drop all knitting to clean her up, clean up the pee and decide to jump right back into the knitting. Of course, this means I'm going to make a mistake and I do. I mess up the decreases in the instep shaping but I decided to proceed on. It's not a horrid mistake. I'm going to get to the toe shaping since I need to practise that. Then I'm going to knit the second sock, I'm going to do it right and I'll come back and rip up this one and knit it again. But at least I'll feel as if I'm making progress, not to mention I need to check on sizing. Might as well make sure this size is comfortable before starting the second sock. It's been challenging but fun. I might end up being a sock knitter after the end of all this. It's rather satisfying to knit something that is self finishing and you can use on a daily basis. And after all, there's all that sock yarn for me to try out too! But seriously, I need to get a set of sock blockers before KO os over. After all, it's not only about the perfect knitting of socks but finishing. And it's not finished if it's not washed and blocked. Now, let's see if I can get a photo of this sock up It's a faulty sock, but not one that's too ugly to see the light of day.

Labels: Flour, Knitting, Westie