Thursdays Are For Knit Group And Survivor

If the name Poetry In Stitches wasn't already taken, I would think that is what we should call our knit group.

Rising to the challenge set out for us last week, after listening to Megan's husband's poetry, Nell came prepared with not one, but two poems. The first was in Dutch, Nell's mother tongue, but her second, I present to you here.

The Knitting Group
By Nell Grift

Every Thursday afternoon at two
Some ladies meet in the Library room.
Some to crochet - some to knit
Some to chat and some to sit.
But mostly they come to learn and to share
All Brenda has to teach them -
As they gather there.
Some make sweater-and scarves
And some make mitts.
Some make socks and some make shifts
While others make Afghans
To give as gifts.
But most of all they are a happy troop
Who've come to be known as the Library Group.

A wonderful poem, but she gives me too much credit.

Joann recited a poem of her childhood, in German.

It was about her home town -- I think.

And last but not least, Poetic Pat wrote a new poem just for today.

A 'serious' poem she told us, about the wondrous gifts life has to offer.

Of course, one of Pat's great gifts, is her knitting.

Look at 'Grandpa'. He even has a medal.

In other knitting, Doreen was wearing the white top she has been working on,

then modelled for us a beautiful shrug her friend knit her as a birthday gift.

Gail knit this cute vest for Sandy B's new grandson.

Nell finished the little pink baby outfit.

With three sizes of hats, no less.

Sharon is wearing the scarf she knit with the lovely silk yarn her husband gave her. Wonderful colours that suit you well, Sharon.

Now on to Survivor. Dang!! I sure wish Coach had been voted off. Sierra's ego must be terribly bruised. They were s-o-o-o unkind to her. And, in case you hadn't noticed, - Coach is lying about not lying. Only three more episodes. The claws are coming out. Let's see what happens tonight.

Eenie, Meenie ....

I am creeping along with my Modified Picolvi Tee (otherwise known as the 'Easter Topper 2010' - I am so ready to have this done) when, I notice what can only be described as a 'failure to plan'. You've seen those signs that say
Plan Ahea
d
My Easter Topper was to look like this one on ravelry. Three blocks of colour, equal in width. My top portion is in the main colour. Then, green under the bust, where the waist decreasing starts. Lastly, the lower section - from waist down through the hip increases - is orange. Everything sounds planned out, right?

BUT!!! After the waist decreasing, the pattern calls for an inch and a half knit straight. No increases or decreases. Since I have a long waist for a short person, I upped that to two inches. All of which I've done in green. I only started the orange when ready to start the hip increases.

Which means that the green portion is longer than the orange portion. I should have split the two inch straight portion in half, knitting equal portions of green and orange.

With still an inch or so to go, how wrong, wrong, wrong does it look?

Should I frog? I am so ready have this done. If I'm not happy with the look, I will never wear it. But, I am so ready to have this done. Maybe, it only looks wrong to me. I am so ready to have this done. To frog or not to frog. Eenie, Meenie....

Knitters And Hikers

Knitting and hiking - both things I love to do. Since moving to Thornbury though, and despite living amongst some of the best hiking areas in Ontario, I have done far less hiking than in London.

My preference (perhaps because this was the norm in London) is to hike for a couple of hours, have coffee with my hiking friends then head for home. Hikers here, seem to enjoy longer hikes. They start later in the morning, incorporate lunch and make a day of it. I keep paying my membership dues and waiting for someone to organize - 'my type' of hike. That is to say - I have often bitched suggested that instead of the long, time-consuming hikes, we do a two hour hike. To date, no hiker has responded to my suggestion.

So, in true Brenda fashion, I decided to organize my own hikes. Calling them Two Hour Tuesdays, I started with Ingrid. Knowing that she too loves to hike, I asked her to come along on today's inaugural hike. Then, as we were preparing to head for home last Thursday, after knit group, I mentioned it to Wilma as well.

Imagine my surprise, when today, at 9 am, I pulled into the parking lot to see six!!! hikers. Ingrid invited two friends - both knitters. Wilma invited a friend - another knitter. Not one hiker had taken my suggestion, but you can count on knitters. Six, knitting-hikers , or better said, hiking-knitters had a wonderful morning hiking the Trout Hollow Trial in Meaford. Of course, I didn't think to take the camera, so in your mind's eye, I hope you can see the Blood Root, Violets, Fiddleheads and trout fishermen - one with three trout in the net, that we saw.

And now, I still have lots of day before me. I could spring clean the next room on the list. wash some more sweaters, or make the bathrooms sparkle.

Instead, I think I will