I’ve been reading a lot on the internet lately. Mostly blogs, forums and such, related to knitting, and it amazes me that people can do things in so many different ways to achieve the same result. For example, one woman was saying that she didn’t know all the ways of Casting On, she only knew about thirty of them. Now, I have a lot of knitting experience and am definitely not a Newbie in any way, shape or form but I never even knew there were thirty ways. Thirty ways … it boggles my mind! I laughed when I read that and I’m still chuckling now even as I write this. I tell ya, ever since the internet came into being, there’s no shortage of information.
Another thing I keep seeing reference to is “Blocking” your knitting. Do most people do this? Because that’s not something I can say I’ve ever done, unless you count laying a damp tea towel over your knitted item and passing a hot iron over it to create a little steam. The idea of buying a blocking board and pinning your garment down seems a bit unusual to me but then again, that’s probably just me. I’ve read that blocking is especially important for lacy shawls and similar items, to open up the lacework and show off all the detail. I can see the sense in that case, but what about things like socks? Do they need to be blocked too? Or gauge swatches? I just shake my head when people say do it for their gauge swatches … I must be missing something here (and I don’t think its my marbles).
If you’re someone who makes the effort to block all your projects, would you please let me know what benefit you find in it? I’m sure there must be some, or else people wouldn’t bother and I’m curious, since I’m not one of those people.
Last night I finally got to see my boyfriend Tino. We both lead such busy lives – him with his job, kids and soccer coaching responsibilities (for his younger son’s team) and me with my job (which is shift-work and doesn’t always fit in well with the schedule of the rest of the world), business, website and being a landlord.
Tino was away on a ski trip with his kids during their Spring Break a week ago and has been occupied with the of planning their trip, packing and taking care of all the other little details that involve leaving your house empty while you’re out of town. I saw them briefly last week when I picked them up at the airport but since then our work schedules haven’t been in sync, so you can imagine how nice it was to finally spend an evening just talking and catching up with each other.
We had dinner at Sukhothai, one of the most elegant restaurants in Osborne Village, which is one of the trendier neighbourhoods here in Winnipeg. I heard all about their adventures on the ski hill as we enjoyed our favourite green curry and coconut milk soup, which is always perfect… rich and delicious with chicken, mixed vegetables, onions, bamboo shoots and basil. After the soup came Pad Nut Puck (a cashew stir fry with chicken, asparagus, celery, snow peas, carrots, red pepper and onions), Pra Rad Pik (a battered Tilapia fillet in a sweet and spicy chili sauce) and Coconut Rice. We both love good food and dining out at this restaurant is definitely one of our guilty pleasures … pure Heaven on Earth!
How many of you like Thai food? What’s your favourite restaurant? I’d love to hear about the places you enjoy the most and the dishes that you get excited about. Post a comment and let the rest of us know.
Today when I was looking at things on the internet I came across a video about a very confident young girl who had knit her own prom dress out of Duck Tape. Seriously, Duck tape??? All I can say is...... WOW! Such resourcefulness is pretty rare, don't you think? I wonder where this girl will be in a few years from now (maybe designing new and innovative knitting patterns we'll all be talking about?). Watch the video to see for yourself:
It turns out though, that every year hundreds of teenagers are creating their own funky fashions out of duct tape, hoping to win a scholarship prize in a contest put on by the makers of Duck brand duct tape.
The contest rules state "The Contest is open to legal residents of the United States and Canada, including the District of Columbia, but excluding Puerto Rico and the Province of Quebec, 14 years of age or older at the time of entry who are attending a high school prom in the spring of 2009".
Do you think you're up for the challenge? Check out the contest website for more information and to look at the fashions created by past winners. See more images of contest participants. It seems like a totally crazy idea but might just be a lot of fun.
Another thing I keep seeing reference to is “Blocking” your knitting. Do most people do this? Because that’s not something I can say I’ve ever done, unless you count laying a damp tea towel over your knitted item and passing a hot iron over it to create a little steam. The idea of buying a blocking board and pinning your garment down seems a bit unusual to me but then again, that’s probably just me. I’ve read that blocking is especially important for lacy shawls and similar items, to open up the lacework and show off all the detail. I can see the sense in that case, but what about things like socks? Do they need to be blocked too? Or gauge swatches? I just shake my head when people say do it for their gauge swatches … I must be missing something here (and I don’t think its my marbles).
We had dinner at Sukhothai, one of the most elegant restaurants in Osborne Village, which is one of the trendier neighbourhoods here in Winnipeg. I heard all about their adventures on the ski hill as we enjoyed our favourite green curry and coconut milk soup, which is always perfect… rich and delicious with chicken, mixed vegetables, onions, bamboo shoots and basil. After the soup came Pad Nut Puck (a cashew stir fry with chicken, asparagus, celery, snow peas, carrots, red pepper and onions), Pra Rad Pik (a battered Tilapia fillet in a sweet and spicy chili sauce) and Coconut Rice. We both love good food and dining out at this restaurant is definitely one of our guilty pleasures … pure Heaven on Earth!