Cool

The sun is shining. The weather is warm. Summer has arrived.
...but Mayne Island is cool and getting cooler.
I'll be yakking about it this Sunday (June 3rd), noon, at Miner's Bay Park (by the library)
Read more about it on Leanneism.
(Leanneism is a blog accessible from www.oknitting.com 's link page.)

A humble knitter's meditation

It's not only me
it's the colour,
It's not only me
it's the fibre
It's not only me
it's the stitches,
It's not only me
it's the needles,
It's not only me
it's the stitch pattern
It's not only me
that made my knitting beautiful.

(c) 06/07

It arrived in the mail

The new issue of Knit Together (www.CGKnitters.ca) arrived in the mail yesterday. As usual, it is packed full of interesting articles and features two projects. One of the projects (a baby sweater) was submitted by yours truly. In fact this is Knit Together's first theme issue. And the theme is "baby".
The trouble with knitting a baby sweater is that most of the patterns are so complex and knit using such fine yarn that by the time you finish the sweater the intended wearer is either graduating from university or is having their own child. Well "Sugar Cookie" (Knit Together's featured baby sweater) is the solution. Not only is it quick to knit but it "grows" with the wearer. Intrigued...hope so. The featured sweater is worked from Shelridge Farm's Soft Touch Wool/Cotton DK yarns (www.shelridge.com). I enjoyed working with this yarn and I am sure you will too.

Be ready for Summer

This summer Olavia's hand knitting patterns (www.oknitting.com) plans to display at the following shows. I look forward to meeting you there.

Victoria FibreFest & Knit Out
Friday, June 8th to Sunday June 10th
For more information call Marilyn at 388-6466

artcraft
Friday, June 15th to Sunday, September 16th
Salt Spring Island

Mayne Island Farmer’s Market
Saturday, June 30th to Saturday, October 6th (every Saturday)

In Praise of Hands
Salt Spring Island Fibre Festival
Designers’ Showcase July 21stFor more information, please email: info@fibrefestival.com

Keeping guessing

Got my passport...time to fly...where am I headed? Each Saturday I post one clue at Leanneism (the blog Leanneism is accessible through www.oknitting.com 's link page). I invite you to play along with me.

baby sweater knitting kits now available

Puddin' Pie

Muffin

Honey Bunny

Aren't they adorable?

And now they can be yours.

Choose from three styles and three colours.

Details (such as price) will be available soon from www.oknitting.com

Log on to oknitting.com

http://www.youtube.com/p.swf?video_id=-wjFjhu9jds&eurl=http%3A//www.google.ca/search%3Fhl%3Den%26q%3Dcelebrate%2Bon%2Byoutube%26meta%3D&iurl=http%3A//img.youtube.com/vi/-wjFjhu9jds/2.jpg&t=OEgsToPDskL5VnB7U3i9bDI9HOFRC9Oo

Why?
I will reveal all tomorrow.

See that mountain

I have a mountain high of knitting to do.
Last night I finished my entry for the Salt Spring Island Designer Showcase (http://www.fibrefestival.com/).
Hubby's reaction, "I've never seen anything like that before?"
I don't think anyone has. It is an art piece made from Hatake's beautiful mohair. It along with "September's Promise" knit from Meadowmist Farm's Ragg wool will be this year's entries from Olavia's hand knitting patterns (http://www.oknitting.com/).
Today's challenge is finishing the knitting kits. I know I said that the kits would be ready for the Mayne Island Farmer's market. Well, I didn't make that deadline. I apologize. ...but today they wait to be sewn.

I need to add to this mountain. I owe sixteen baby sweaters to artcraft (a gallery on Salt Spring Island). The sweaters need to be finished by June 11th. So far I have nine ready. Five to sew. One started. That leaves one.
Dream of speed, my friends.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IERzx5Spic

Guessing

I have a passport and I am prepared to use it. Just where am I planning to go? Through a series of clues offered up each Saturday, I am guessing you'll know.

This is the week-end

In fact this is the Saturday.
If you have wondered what life is like on Mayne Island. If you have thought, "Hey, why is Leanne so proud to live on that island?" If you have dreamed about visiting Mayne Island.
This is the Saturday.
You need to be here when the island comes to life.
The Mayne Island Farmer's Market opens on June 30th and runs to October 6th. ...but you, my dear reader, you don't have to wait that long. For you we will open this Saturday. Tell your friends. Bring them along.
The market runs from 10 am to 1 pm. At 1 pm the Green Man dances and the islanders follow. Why not join in on the fun? Merriment and magic will transform the island. The May Queen will be crowned. The May Pole will inspire dancers to dance. And spring will be enjoyed.
So come on in
Come on out
You've not seen nothin' like...
this Saturday on Mayne Island.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euplbmD0zU4

I invite you

to please go to www.oknitting.com 's link page and log on to "Leanneism". There I will (try) to entertain you.

Bamboo surprise

The bamboo surprise is finished. I donned it and it passed the hubby test. He gave it two thumbs up.

I apologize that I can't provide a photo. However, this is my humble attempt at encouraging you to attend the Victoria Fibrefest & Knit-out's gala dinner and fashion show. This event will be held at the Queen Mother Waterside restaurant on Friday, June 8th. Dinner starts at 5:30 pm. The fashion show starts at 6:00 pm. Tickets are $30. For further details, please visit http://www.communityknitters.com/knitout
Not only will you be able to see the bamboo surprised, along with many other beautifully knit items, but you will also be able to help me name said.

Looking forward to our June meeting.

Knitting Kits

Life is good. I cast on stitches for the last piece of the last sweater model for the baby sweater knitting kits. Looks like I may make my deadline. Please keep your fingers crossed for me.

Happy Mother's Day

Okay, so if you read this blog on anything close to a regular basis you are sure to notice that I love my place of residence. Mayne Island is a very special place. We usually have a unique slant on most of life. Mother's day is no different.
Each Mother's day the doors of the volunteer fire department are swung open and neighbours are welcome. The mostly male department cooks a hearty breakfast for all. Pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon, and fruit salad: a breakfast fit for a queen for only $8. What off-spring couldn't afford that?
Later at the church, carnations were distributed to all attending females: had a mother, are a mother, will be a mother.

Do you want to play a game?

I just received my (first ever) passport and I am planning to use it.
Just where am I headed?
Through a series of clues offered each Saturday on Leanneism (accessible from www.oknitting.com 's link page), I invite you to guess.
Each Sunday I eliminate one possible destination.

Short on Paper

I enjoy, occasionally, challenging myself.
I like to write short stories.
I heard of a very short story: 6 words long.
I thought: how brief can I be?
Short on Paper is the result.
Curious?
Please log on to: http://www.lulu.com/content/853589

Exciting news!

Maynely True is now available as an e-book. Please check it out: http://www.lulu.com/content/849669
Thank you.
I hope to make Short on Paper available as an e-book soon.

a 3 am pep talk

Early, early, early this morning (long before first light) when the cats were prowling and Hubby was snoring I was up. You see today is The Day. I have been working on a (nother) book proposal. The first book proposal came out, I wrote it down, I sent it away and felt good about it. This one, well, this one is not that easy. It's not that I don't believe in it. I do. It's more like I want someone to love it just as much as I do. So early this morning I wrote this ...

The time has come
the rabbit said
for all good children to
have more faith

Weren't expecting that ending were you?
That's the touble with life sometimes you don't receive the ending you desire or expect. That's why it's important not to want it so much. Know that if you don't receive it here and now sooner or later you will. It's simply a matter of time.

Have some faith in yourself. Know that if you reach for the moon the worse that will happen is you will catch a star. Sometimes that's hard to do: settle. But you know experience has revealed that sometimes you are better off this way: you gain in experience or it is much better timing or something...

You didn't write the book of life. Maybe you should trust in the one that did.

Oknitting news

Want some knitting news?
I have some knitting news. I am three inches away from finishing the knitting of the bamboo surprise.
Yesterday I hopped on my electric bike and toured on over to Hatake.
You may recall my plans to represent Mayne Island at the Salt Spring Island fibre festival (www.fibrefestival.com).
Oknitting's (www.oknitting.com) design September's Promise

was designed using Meadowmist Farm's Ragg wool (http://mayne.gulfislands.com/meadowmist).
Yesterday I picked up Hatake's (www.hatakeyarns.com) mohair yarn.

And I have started something new.


I plan to enter both September's Promise and the new design in Salt Spring Island's fashion.

Leanneism

Leanneism seems to be taking over Designer's Note. Once again I encourage you to visit me over on my newer blog. Don't worry though I am sure Designer's Note will fight back with all guns blazing. (Really I am a pacifist...really I am.)

I am thrilled to be finally travelling beyond north america. Through a series of clues, can you guess what country I will be visiting? To play along, log on to Leanneism (accessible through www.oknitting.com 's link page)

Please read me...Leanneism (accessible from www.oknitting.com/link )

May Day - May Day

It's lambing season on Mayne Island. I love to hear the sound of Mother and child calling for each other. Just across the street we have a sheep farm and so I get to hear the call often throughout the day. Hubby popped across the street bent on capturing the flock with his camera phone. Unfortunately, he said the flock had other ideas. As he got closer and closer they said, "Oh look another one. We're sick of this. Can't we eat in peace." And ran away. Of course I had to translate for Hubby. Even though I wasn't even there. My powers know no end.
So anyway, it's May. Hey!
I love spring. It is my favourite season.
The only thing I don't enjoy about this spring is that I have had to break a promise. I told you that my baby sweater knitting kits would be available in May. They will be. Mark my words. Be kind and patient with me please give me until the Queen's birthday (May 21st). Honey Bunny is almost ready to come off my needles then it's onward and upward to Puddin' Pie.
Happy joyous May!