Drunk.















Gormless.















Hopeful.



















Love.

Fat man at night -

He's ducked out for a smoko, and he'll be back later on -















Can you see the coins on the edge of the table?

Why I like my housemate -















How could I not like someone who thinks this is as good an idea as I do?

Why I like my job -

So, I seem to be walking more than knitting, lately -

Not Knitting -

So, realistically, there is not going to be any knitting content for a while. Several weeks. Come back in a month if you don't like graffiti and stuff.

If at first -

So my next post was going to be about my most (well, second most, well, third most) favourite thing I bought in Canada. I have been reading this book in bed, hanging out for a chance to have a go at all the techniques, but have lacked sufficient time and brain-power to manage it. Maybe next weekend, or the one after. There are also a few WiPs that need attention.















Instead, I present, for your amusement, our cake. It was pretty full already when we put it in the oven... and I guess we did too good a job at the whisking and keeping it all light and airy.














I might pop 'larger cake tin' on the next shopping list. We will try this puppy again.

Keeping track -















Elbow to last joint of little finger long, half of it elbow to last joint of little finger wide. Woven, seam halfway of folded length (under arms), seam half way of length (up back).

Possible stitches: sand stitch, TKPp12; three and one pattern, TKPp94, too dense?; woven transverse herringbone, TKPp96, to 'busy'?; fabric stitch, TKPp99, I notice myself being drawn towards things that read 'makes a thick, dense fabric calculated to keep the wearer warm'; dragon skin, 2TKPp136

Slippers: double stockingette, 2TKPp133.

Final Day in Vancouver, BC -

The final day was very like a microcosm of the trip. We walked, and I made bec wait while I took a picture of something odd.


















We went to morag's house and drank excellent tea.














We went to a delicious bakery and ate food. In this case a carrot muffin and a gingerbread moose.














I took a picture of some graffiti.














We sat (on the knitting balcony) and knit














And looked at the view and the summer-ness and it was warm with a cool breeze and I was happy.














Now to plan the Wool and Whiskey tour of Scotland, any one want to come? (there is already one person who plans to make it a Whiskey tour of Scotland, just adding whiskey where we would be looking at Wool).

Fifteen year friendship - 

We have been writing for 15 odd years and met for the first time on Tuesday.

It turns out that we are each other. I have the southern hemisphere covered, she is looking after the northern. We have matching bags now. I will post later to show how we spent my last afternoon in Canada.

If I stay there will be trouble -

Knit night, Three Bags Full, Vancouver, BC -

I saw this girl and asked if I could take a photo of her shoulder. I promised her it was because I thought it was excellent, not because I wanted to copy it, so don't copy it, just admire its excellentness. (I have already worked out my next tattoo after talking to the very cute Canadian boy on Granville Island, it looks nothing like this one.)















We went to the knitting circle at Three Bags Full tonight, it was hysterical and fun and there were cookies. One of the girls had just found the Japanese book of sweater patterns inspired by John Lennon and his music. I wish now I had taken a picture of the group.



















In fact, I wish in general that I had taken pictures of the people we have met. It seems a shame that I shall forget them so quickly.

Tomorrow (just, five minutes to midnight), I fly home.

Vancouver, BC -

I wanted to bring some of this home, but... well my bag is a little full. I am kind of glad my housemate will be away when I get back, he won't witness my shame.















We escaped from here without any books.



















We were too scared to touch anything.



















I like Vancouver a lot, but it hasn't captured my heart the way Toronto did, and it is not home like Victoria, PEI.

Vancouver, BC -

Morning.















Afternoon.















Handluggage?

In which Ceels asks her mum questions about plants and, in a delightful secondhand bookshop, chances upon the exact dictionary she has been searching for -

Mum, what plants are the two following? The first one looks exactly like the monkey puzzle tree, but the branches are hella different.



















This one is used as a hedge by loads of houses in Kitsilano. Never seen it before. There were so many plants I have never seen before in Toronto and Montreal, and the ones over here are all different again. I find it affronting that I don't know their names.















I have been looking for a dictionary and stumbled on one at a sweet little secondhand bookshop that was between the bank and the yarn shop. Someone has inscribed a poem on the page between the Lat-Eng / Eng-Lat sections.



















(missing Toronto a little bit, this place is so bold and large and the mountains loom).

Vancouver, BC -

I finally got around to getting myself a new wallet in Toronto. My old one has been broken these 6 months.

I liked it already until Denny in Lettuce Knit pointed out the skyline.















They have girls like me in Vancouver.















(in case you can't work out which one, look at what the one at the back is holding).

Somewhere over Duluth -

Koolhaas (yes, I am a fangirl...) (actually, this picture was taken in a bar, sipping sangria in the late afternoon sunshine, yesterday)














We have had the most entertaining flights with Westjet. The flight attendant making the announcements for the Toronto-Vancouver leg today was particularly amusing.

Highlights: pointing out they'd be amazed if anybody actually did look at the safety card in the back of the seat in front of you; getting us to applaud the hard work of the flight attendants for getting us in to Vancouver 15 minutes early; as we were taxi-ing in to the terminal when everyone starts unbuckling their seat belts before they are supposed to a dis-embodied voice saying "I can hear seat belts".



















We were very sad to leave Toronto. But 'yay' for the Canada laws that let you knit on the plane so you can finish your Koolhaas in time to give to your Canada friend the next day.

Toronto, ON -

Toronto, ON -

Toronto, ON -













































Of course we walked around the other side of the building, after an argument with a man on a bike about whether it was written by a girl or a boy.

Toronto, ON -

I like this city, a lot.

Toronto, ON -

Toronto, ON -

So, seems Canada is all about the blue, for me.



















Been to yarn-mecca, can die yarn-happy.

Two total strangers and a total not stranger said they liked my skirt. Squee, etc.

Toronto, ON -