Yopping Update #33 - Oh oh

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Well, I forgot to mention a yarn acquisition last week, that now seems very tame compared to this week. 

I needed some hemp to make some double-knit kitchen potholders.  I usually buy the hemp at knitting shows, and since I haven't been to one for a couple of years now it seemed time.  It arrived quickly, and is waiting for my gansey to be finished before I get going on a zodiac potholder or two....or three. 

And yes, the dragon gansey is progressing.  I am on the sleeves, knitting them two at a time, and I have already started the decreasing.  No point posting a picture because progress pics don't look that much different than last week.  

I did take an evening to work on my third advent gnome

However, while on The Net Loft's zoom meeting this week, and last, someone talked about a toy they were knitting and talked about this book.

I snapped it up on Amazon on Thursday, and it arrived Friday afternoon.  

Oh My Goodness but the patterns are sooooo cute and each of the twelve animals comes with a wardrobe you can knit for them too. 

Of course I could use the random colours of Brava Sport I have in my stash, but the designer had used this cotton yarn, Scheepjes, and, well.......

After a visit to Yarn Canada, and then finding another local yarn shop that sold the colours that Yarn Canada didn't have I may have (ok I did) order close to three hundred dollars worth of yarn to add to my stash. 

I want to make ALL the animals in the book, and I have to admit I haven't been this excited about a new set of projects since I made the rabbit and elephants for my grandnieces and grandnephews a number of years ago. I ordered ALL the colours, and I can't wait for them to arrive so I can get going on my first one.  Of course I haven't decided which one will be the first one - so stay tuned. 

Little Cotton Rabbits design by Julie Williams

There was also a knitpicks order for some sock yarn, because, well, I can never not be knitting socks, and anyways I needed more Red Brava Sport for the Christmas Tree Skirt I am making.  I gave up waiting for the White Brava sport to be in stock (the website keeps saying SOON, and then changing the SOON to a date further into the future.  I ordered some Cascade 220 washable white wool instead and that will do for the balance of the skirt. 

After I ordered the Hawthorne sock yarn in a pack of seven colours called Arctic Lights fade, I realized that these were the same colours I ordered last year.  I guess I really do love those colours!

Oh, yes, and my leather knitting pouch and long needles have been shipped, although with all the nonsense at our borders with the trucker convoys I imagine getting it delivered will be delayed.  

Speaking of delays - it seems that organic brown rice has been hard to keep in stock on the grocery shelves and whenever we do our grocery orders the stores are more often that not out of it.  So dh decided to take matters in hand and ordered 25 pounds!  It too needs to be shipped but at least it is within Canada and not having to come across the border.  We will be okay for brown rice for the rest of the year I imagine!

My week was busy with medical appointments but I survived them all.  I don't get the results of the echo until March 11, but my teeth are cleaned and shiny (although I do need a crown replaced), and my eye infection seems to be on the mend.  

We have had a few sunny and warm days in a row and besides walking we did prune back our apple trees from encroaching on the neighbours yard (and hopefully deter Mr. Bear), and we sawed up our Christmas tree along with some other deadfall in the backyard.  We now have two bins of debris to be picked up and three more boxes of fire wood.  My husband also saved some on the apple wood for the barbeque.  Nothing like planning ahead. 

It really does look like Spring is not too far away.  Crocuses are springing up (see what I did there?) all over our front yard.

Just in time for Valentine's day, by red Amaryllis has come out in bloom. 

And of course, no Sunday post would be complete without this little gem

Happy Super Bowl Sunday - go Bengals go!

And Happy Valentine's Day tomorrow.  

Let's make this a good, or even great, week!

Yopping Update #32 - Two dragons down, one to go

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Well, they are done.  A dragon on the front and back of my latest gansey. It took eight days and as my husband pointed out there may have been a curse word or two, and a LOT of counting stitches.  

Tahesha - the dragoness

It is a brilliant pattern, well-written, well-explained and worth every penny.  

Of course I can't rest on my laurels too long.  Tonight I have been doing the math so I can start the gansey shoulder straps.  The charting is done so I might cast on a few rows.  Or maybe I'll just knit a wee little advent gnome. 

As far as the dragon formerly known as my mental health - well, that dragon has been more of a tussle. I am thankful for Tahesha to let me focus on her instead of the fact I stayed in my pjs much of the week.  

However, on the bright side - literally - it was a beautiful warm and sunny day today and we went to the beach where I walked for a couple of miles on the rocky shore and found a lovely cove with a hidden access where I plan to swim.  It is quite private, away from the crowds, and the access has parking at the top so my dh can follow me down and be my lifeguard while I swim.  I was tempted to go in today, but alas I didn't have my swimsuit on and it wasn't so private that skinny dipping would have been a good idea.  

Next time I will be prepared. 

My first two of four amaryllis blossoms have come out, and I did wash my kitchen windows this past week, so my garden nook is quite stupendous if I do say so myself. 

Of course nothing could cheer me up more than a video chat with my dear granddaughter.  I watched her play with her Peppa Pig playhouse and she showed her Grandpa how the topsy-turvy doll I made her for Christmas worked.  It was a lovely way to be woken up yesterday.  

And then today this popped up on my phone

Dear granddaughter capturing my heart as she wades in the February sea

So that is my week.  I have a doctor appointment tomorrow for this chronic eye infection I am dealing with, an echocardiogram on Tuesday (a yearly follow-up), and a dental hygiene appointment on Wednesday!  Oh joy, O rapture! (Not.)

So life goes on and I go along with it.

Also, I have become a Wordle addict.  It is all the rage these days on facebook - my baby brother got me hooked, and now I have discovered a Croatian version and a French version so I can practice my second and third languages. I also spend far too much time playing Wordscapes.

Do you play Wordle?  Or any other word games I should know about?  

Let me know in the comments.