16 February 2008

PayDay adventures

Well, yesterday being the Ides of February, a.k.a. PayDay, I hit the yarn shop. Quelle surprise!

This time I went to Lettuce Knit in the Kensington Market. I had nothing particular in mind - aside from looking for the new Interweave 49 Sensational Skirts book. I wasn't intending to actually buy yarn, of course!

Then I saw this beauty hanging up in the shop:

This is the Serrano from one of the past Knitty online mags. Laura who works at Lettuce Knit designed it. She is my new hero. I had seen it back in the summertime and fully intended to knit it, but then somehow I got distracted.





And so forth... anyway, you get the point.

I then tripped across the following sock yarn, of all things:

Colinette Jitterbug! Look at the colour! I've never seen such an interesting red - and you all know how I love red!

Now, I didn't even know what kind of yarn the pattern called for at the time. I just looked now and this should work... but I'm not sure that I have quite enough of it. I have about 870 m and the small size calls for just over 1000 m. So, it may well be an assymmetrically sleeved garment. Oh well.

Of course, I also had to pick up some Handmaiden Sea Silk.

So, the yarn jones satisfied, I trotted off to the Landlord and Tenant Board to observe a hearing on a file I've been working on. It ended up settling. And I'd even brought popcorn!

Then I headed on over to Greektown to meet JJ and some friends. We went to a fantastic Greek restaurant called Astoria and pigged out. One downside: no beer on tap! But I did manage to find the first Greek beer I've ever liked...

We then headed off to a small neighbourhood pub further east of Greektown. They had my favourite on tap...

I think I must have overindulged as I ended up singing karaoke by myself. A first! No one threw anything at me so I guess I must have done OK.

And at least no articles of clothing got removed...



This is my all-time favourite comic strip, Life In Hell. That particular comic has hung on my fridge for three years. JJ thinks it's weird... but when he starts cooking he can decide what goes on the fridge, I figure.

Speaking of JJ, I'd better sign off now and go get him up. He's been telling me all week that he's going to take me shopping for a "big surprise" today for Valentine's Day. I wonder what it is? He won't give me any hints. The last big Valentine's surprise, if I remember correctly, was a vacuum cleaner. (He was shocked that I didn't have one when we moved in together. This was only because every time I had to vacuum, I simply moved instead. But JJ has a bit less of the gypsy impulse than I...).

Anyway, to any Ontarians reading this, happy Family (Values) long weekend!



(They said on the news the other day that our Premier, the Honourable Mr. McGuinty, comes from a family of 14. No wonder he named this new holiday "Family Day". He'd probably piss off half the province if he didn't!)


And everyone else enjoy their long weekend too, whatever you might call it...