booty!!!!

No, not that kind of booty - get your mind out of the gutter! I'm talking about the pirates' treasure kind of booty...

JJ and I went to the Danier leather outlet yesterday and scored big time. At least, I scored. I bought this beautiful bookbag:

This is what I wanted during all of my school daze! Instead, I got to schlep stuff to school in LCBO bags and, eventually, cheapo knapsacks. I feel grown up now.

But even better, JJ bought me this as a belated nameday present:

A car coat! And it even has Thinsulate lining, so I can wear it right away...

Isn't that snazzy?

(JJ picked up two leather jackets for himself as well, one black and one in redwood (similar to the above colour). And if I may say so, when wearing them he puts Daniel Craig/James Bond to shame!)

Of course, JJ had to joke with me that mycurrent wide range of knitted scarves and hats did not include brown, and my usual over-the-tops colour choices might clash with the new coat. So, this was an excuse for an immediate trip to Knitomatic, where I picked up the following beauties:
On the left is Fleece Artist Goldielocks (mohair/silk/nylon blend) in the Bugundy colourway, intended for a Moebius scarf which I will likely start today. To the right is Manos Del Uruguay aran weight wool for a hat of some description.

Of course, I also had to pick this up:

This despite the fact that I have not yet managed to start my Secret of the Stole first hint. I mean to start today... but may wait to see if writte instructions are forthcoming tomorrow. I'm having a problem reading the chart.

Sigh. I did, however, finish the Gathered Pullover yesterday! It is currently blocking, so pics to follow tomorrow.
(I noted with happiness that Haley is selling books at the American price (it has been a big debate up here that despite the fact our dollar is more or less at par now, book prices differ between Canada and the US by several dollars - in this case, seven!).


JJ also bought this microwave/convection oven/grill thingy to replace our toaster oven and microwave (the microwave's plate got broken by JJ, and the toaster oven, for some reason, keeps blowing the fuse when in operation of late):

It is huge ... and comes with an instruction manual resembling the Great Canadian Novel. Good thing I have post-secondary education - I think I'll need it to figure out how to operate this puppy. You will notice that the clock is set, however. Damn, I'm good!

In parting, while reviewing this blog post I was reminded of Rick Mercer's take on blogging (a video clip - click on the second link down "Mercer: the last man to get his own blog"). Hope Im not that boring! I must come across like some shameless consumer - I guess after 10 years or so in the big city in relative penury while going to school and working two or three jobs to get by, I'm still not used to having discretionary income!

...and on the eighth day, She...

...bought yarn! (inevitable, wasn't it?)

And I can't even say that I had good intentions at the beginning of the day. Evil Kristina has been holding the reins since Monday (perhaps Good Kristina is still hungover and bloated from the extended beer/wine/champagnefest in Europe?).

So, I stopped at my friendly neighbourhood LYS, Knitomatic on the way home from work today, ready to spend. And spend I did!

So, now for the requisite really bad photos of really fab yarns! (I really should take a photography course. Wonder if I could get my workplace to pay for it?... hmm...)

First up: the magical glow-in-the-dark Fleece Artist Goldielocks!

(Ok, ok... it really doesn't glow in the dark. The real colour is closer to this photo of their shawl pattern below.)

Isn't it pretty! And that shawl is made in garter stitch. I love stuff that looks complicated and impressive but is really super simple...

And next, a selection for a summer top or two (on sale!): Manos Cotton Stria.

I've always wanted to get some of this, and there it was in some of my favourite Mediterranean colours! Time for a new future Greek antiquity!

And finally, some Noro Silk Garden:

I was thinking I might do another Moebius something... but who knows.

Now, it's not as though I needed any of this. Imagine my shock when I came home from vacation to find that Santa's elves had been in my absence and overturned my spare room...

Seriously. I certainly didn't leave it like that. Nor did I leave the bedroom in this state:

As proof of this, you can see the suitcase on the left hand side of the photo.

Anyway, in my defence the spare room is not solely a yarn stash. JJ has his whole life documented in there in various little piles... however, I will confess that there is probably some yarn stashed behind the laundry basket in the bedroom. There is also a considerable stash in the corner of the living room but I can't show you it right now because I took these photos last night while JJ was watching TV and he would have started asking stupid questions such as:

(a) Why are ye takin' pictures of this tip (Scotspeak for garbage dump)? Ye're surely not puttin' them on that bog (sic) of yours?!?; or

(b) Where's mah dinner? Ye set the smoke alarm goin' an hour ago!!!

But there are more important things to do, such as work on the Nina shawl. This was the progress as of early last evening:

Add about 30 rows to that. A bit slower than usual, because I said to myself that I'd start reading more for pleasure again. This is the current book:

If you haven't read anything by her, think about it. Her fiction is excellent. This is a non-fiction book about her family's decision to eat only fresh local stuff for a year... and how hard that can be. Quite interesting, and some good recipes!!

Anyway, time to motor. As a parting thought, it was on this day in 1768 that the first modern circus was staged... in London.


(You must have known that I was going to sneak in more vacation photos at some point, surely?!?)

Hmm. And here I thought that the circus first arrived when I hit town!