| The Drummond News |
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| ...goes hi-tech |
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June 29, 2003
The girls are okay about the move. Maggie would be moving to a new school this year anyway (there's no french immersion at our home school, where she attended kindergarten), and only two or three friends would be coming with her. Amy was excited at first but says she doesn't want to move anymore. We were talking about it last night, though, and she's feeling like me - excited but sad. I've promised to set her up a drummondnews email so she can email her friends - we can be sure that one won't change when we go. I have managed some knitting amidst the turmoil of this week. Maggie's sweater is small and cotton, so it's not hard to knit in the heat we've been having lately. Here's the sleeve of here Lipstick Pink sweater. Behind it is the first sleeve - the increases were every third row, and that's at the end of the increasing. I decided I wanted a more gradual increase, so I did the second one every fourth row. That first sleeve is now a memory - I ripped back to before the second increase, and I'm working my way up again. 
Maggie had to stick her face in front of the camera for a photo, too. My kids can't resist the camera. And here's today's wedding photo - the groomsmen giving me their GQ pose. That's Tim, Troy, and Larry, or as I have been calling them, The Boys. (And Todd shaves his body.) 
June 24, 2003
I'm excited and sad about this. For the past six years I have had my whole family close to me. I live in the same town as my parents, and both my sisters are in Toronto, less than an hour away. (Well, excepting Maggie for the past two years, but that's another story entirely.) Now I'll be a whole country away and I'll miss them all terribly. But at the same time my husband won't have to fly away from me every week in order to earn a living. He'll be home every night to tuck in his girls, and he won't have to miss the birthdays, school presentation nights and ballet open houses that he's been going without for the past four years. I'm trying to stay cool about it all. It's still all sinking in. I've given notice at work and we've told the girls. I was in school today and all the teachers were coming up and asking was it true, when were we going, was my mother upset? (She used to work at the school, so I knew many of the teachers before my kids even started attending.) After my family, I will really miss our school. It will be a summer of mixed emotions - excited about where I'm going, but sad about what I'm leaving behind.
June 22, 2003
Monday - Amy ballet Tuesday - Amy ballet, School Council meeting, party after school council (thankfully, not at my house) Wednesday - Maggie ballet, School Barbecue Thursday - Dress rehearsal for ballet recital (theatre in neighbouring town - 1/2 hour drive each way). Took my knitting, but they kept turning the house lights down, so it was too dark to see most of the time Friday - Tim's parents visiting, Ballet recital (both girls dancing, we watched the whole thing, again the 1/2 hour drive each way) Saturday - Complex garage sale, Amy piano lesson, Ballet recital (just Amy dancing - didn't buy a ticket, just snuck in to watch her dance, then took her home, 1/2 hour drive again). Did manage a bit of knitting while hanging around the lobby waiting for Amy's number to begin.
And now, today's wedding photo. Maggie spent about thirty minutes trailing around behind Angel, carrying her train. Amy joined her initially, but only lasted about thirty seconds. Angel would stop and talk with someone, and Maggie would wait patiently until she started moving again. Then Maggie would follow along, maintaining her distance. When Angel stopped again, Maggie stopped and waited patiently again. It was wonderful. 
June 17, 2003
I'm also progressing on the sleeves of the Lipstick Cardi. I did the increases on one sleeve as directed, every third row, and then discovered I had four more inches to go until I cast off. So I started a second sleeve with increases every fourth row. I like it better, so it looks like the first sleeve is headed back down to row seven. But why such a huge chunk of straight knitting at the top of the sleeve? I like my increases to be evenly distributed from bottom to top. My apologies to Brainylady Alison. As she correctly pointed out in my tag-board, I had her listed as Brainlady. Honestly, that is what I read the first time I visited her blog. I thought it was rather odd, but I liked the blog, and I only realized the mistake after seeing another link to her page. So she is hereby corrected. Finally, here's another photo from the wedding. For me (sorry Angel and Todd) these were the two most important people there. 
June 16, 2003
Now I have over 100 more photos downloaded from my digital camera. I will start doling them out this week, but you'll just have to wait. I'm still recovering.
June 12, 2003
It was so boring at work today, that I wrote an email to myself and sent it, to have somehting written up that I could post tonight. NOBODY was surfing our website, placing orders, accepting orders, anything. This was my punishment for complaining about too many phone calls, and too much to do. I really appreciate my job and the start my boss has given me, but this is not what I want to do forever. When I started here 16 months ago I hadn't been employed since before Amy was born. My boss lets me work around school hours - when my kids are in school, I work, when they're off, I'm off. I've also developed some skills, particularly dealing with customers. I get to do a bit of HTML coding, though no web-designing. I'm doing bookkeeping, but there's not much of that to do, and I'm learning about owning and managing a small business. When I move on to a CA firm, these are all skills that I will draw upon. But working in a home office (mostly alone lately since my boss recently had a baby) is dull and lonely. It's getting to be time to move on. There's a chance I will be moving this summer, though since it's not 100% certain, I won't say where or why. If I'm moving, I'll quit, and if I'm not moving, I'll find a job with a CA firm and quit. I want to be a CA and the next step is employment with a CA firm. The only thing holding me back is the uncertainty of the near future. (Cue Mary Tyler Moore music. Now where's my tam?)
June 8, 2003
I must, I must, I must short row a bust.
June 7, 2003
Can you tell which cable I crossed the wrong way 3" from the bottom? I discovered it 3" from the top, and let out 2 stitches all the way down, then picked them back up, crossing the cable over and under, all the way back to my needles. This sweater is very pretty when finished, with a lace edging around the bottom, and a lace-edges shawl collar. Other fun things: I'm doing cables without a cable needle, and I'm knitting back backward for the bobbles. (That one I can't find a link for, but really, just try it and you'll work it out on your own.) I gave all the bobbles a little tug when I blocked them so they would pop out of the fabric a bit more. You can't really see from this photo, but the bobbles look like little flowers on crossed-stitch stems. All this talk about tanks is getting to me. I just finished my ruffled tank, and it hasn't even been warm enough to wear it yet, but I do like the look of Marsha (Thank you Chris for all the suggestions). I like the nice high neck and the fake shoulder darts. And I think the Como I was using for the Vogue cover sweater would make a nice, drapy tank. Not sure about the colour though. It's kind of a yucky khaki colour. I must ruminate on this one for a few days. Actually, what I really like for this yarn is the sweater from the cover of the Rowan Cotton Tape Book. I think the Como is somewhat similar to Cotton Tape, though at a different gauge. But, what's gauge, really, on a mostly-stocking-stitch sweater. Yes, indeed, must ruminate, cogitate, contemplate, deliberate, meditate... (Who knew there were so many rhyming synonyms for this word?)
June 5, 2003
I'm here! I decided to stick with doing the html myself, at least for a while longer. I waffled, since I managed to get movable type installed and working, but finally decided to stick with this. It's a very busy time of year, with school ending, recitals, my brother-in-law's wedding, dance photos, you get the idea. And I wanted to get it up and running, rather than sitting around trying to figure out template codes. Besides, I'd rather be knitting than trying to decipher online instruction manuals. I've also decided to combine my family and knitting pages into one. So knitters, you'll have to put up with the odd family brag, and family, just skip over the knitting if it doesn't interest you. And I'm sure there will be a few more changes before I'm done.
June 3, 2003
I spent a good part of my morning today tuning ukeleles. I volunteer on Tuesdays in the music class. Usually it's things like making copies, and folding the choir ribbons, both of which I also did today. But today I also got to test my ear and tune the ukeleles. I think the grade 6's will get to use them. It was actually pretty fun. I got into my own little listening/tuning zone and plucked away softly in the corner of the room. I wasn't fast, but I think they're all in pretty good tune. We have an excellent music teacher. She's started doing DEAL with the school each day. That's Drop Everything And Listen. After the kids are in from lunch she comes over the PA system and discusses the recording she is going to play, what make it special, certain things to listen for, and so on. Then they play a piece of (usually) classical music and the whole school sits quietly and listens to it. She ties it into the music program with a bit of a discussion of the 'composer of the week' being featured during DEAL time. It's a terrific program. 
June 1, 2003
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Well, my basement is still topsy-turvy, but the painting is finished and all will be reassembled this afternoon. Tim's playing soccer, so I've snuck down for a bit of computer time before we have to tackle the mess down here.
Okay, I don't have to be coy about it anymore. I'm moving to Vancouver this summer! I want to be moved in before the school year starts so it's going to be a wild and crazy sort of a summer. At the moment I'm sitting in a basment that looks like 
I did it. I survived the week. Here's what it looked like:
There are a few more errands to do today, but then I can coast through next week with nothing but my Knitting Guild meeting on Wednesday. As my reward for surviving, my irises are blooming beautifully this week. (Peonies, clematis and coral bells, too!)
One of the nice things about Cornwall is that it's five hours away. Okay, that sounds insulting, but really it means five hours of knitting time, in each direction. What's a girl to do, but start a new project? I'm working on the 
Okay, housekeeping done. I promise a photo of the lace-edge cardigan next time. I'm nearly done the second front, so I'll block them together and take some nice pictures. To reward your patience, here's a picture of Belle, looking lovely in the setting sun. (She seemed to know I was photographing her and provided several different angles. I like this one best.)
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