Beginning the Journey!

Hee! Look what's arrived this week:



After a week's dalliance in a Customs depot in Quebec, during which she seems to have acquired the name Monique, my long-sought JourneyWheel made it here, safe and sound. The first evening was spent figuring out how to get the belts on properly - several times over as I was retying them to adjust - and then having Adam do her glamour-portrait as you see above.

However, by this evening, we seem to be working well together!



Having not spun for a month and just starting the honeymoon with my brand new wheel, this single is rather uneven, but I will work it out. I think the wheel's full name is now Lapis Monique - Monique acquired during her wait in Quebec, and Lapis as she looks good with blue. Also because I've dorkily extended my longstanding habit of naming computing devices after semi-precious gems to my spinning gear, apparently. Why not? She's going to be even more joyful to play with than Obsidian the Macbook.

Help Keep Us All IN THE DARK!

A year ago, one city, Sydney, Australia, decided to take an hour to reduce energy consumption. Their goal was 5%, their means was to turn off the lights for one hour during peak evening consumption. They reached an energy consumption reduction of over 10%, calculated by some reports as equivalent to removing 48,000 cars from the road.

This year, March 29th, at 8 pm local time, cities around the world are turning off the lights. Yes, it is mostly symbolic, and no, one hour a year is not enough. But I encourage everyone to try it out. Turn off the lights - and computer, TV, and stove! Maybe even your furnace, just for the hour (in this climate. Turn off the AC if you're in the warmer latitudes). Light a candle and have a cold picnic dinner. Go outside for a walk and watch the stars rise. Who knows, if enough of your city participates, you might SEE stars like you never do, with all the light pollution. Take the opportunity to think, as well. Imagine if this was not a voluntary, symbolic project. Imagine the day when the lights are out, because we cannot sustain the consumption we currently do. Think about the impact if you could not turn ON the lights (or anything else) and what could happen then. Spend an hour in the dark, and learn to appreciate what you have - and then use it more wisely.

The Knit Spot

After a couple of scores at upscale furniture store Schreiter's over in Kitchener, our loft decor and furnishing intentions got stalled for a little more than a year. The sofa itself has seen little enough use as it seems we spend most of our time in desk chairs, even at home.

However, I was still harboring the intention to get rid of the last few student doofers and slowly-disintegrating chairs, so a couple weeks back another trip to Schreiter's ensued, this one ended up up at least partially with instant gratification as I stumbled upon *exactly* what I had in mind for our next chair, and less than half price as it was a remaining floor model from the boxing-week "Ready To Go" sale.

Voila - the Knit Spot!



Yes, it's a black chair. Technically, it's slightly off-black, there's a very deep cool charcoal tone to it. And, yes, I got it knowing that I have a pale cat. However, it is the same high-grade microfibre suede-finish as our sofa, which means most of the fur wipes off. And it is *not beige*. I have declared our palette to be in the grays, and given the sofa we landed, muted blues, out of my still feeling excessively saturated in Builder Beige. I think a pop of black, and our nod to "colour" being a big red ottoman, looks fresh and a bit edgy with our cottagey wood tones in this place.

Nicer than the colourway, really, is having a cozy chair. It's low but high enough to get out of, I can tuck my feet up, and it's a 360-degree swivel, which is exactly what we needed. It meets Adam's criteria of not blocking off the doors/view/light from the glass wall, and being completely round, there are no edges and corners to bash into with doors and cupboards.

There is a storage Ottoman on the way which does not match either, but coordinates with both, the sofa and this chair as it's in a medium gray microfibre. That'll be my replacement coffeetable (as you can both sit on, and put things on, an ottoman) and it is also sized to go with our sofa, so that when slid into the L of the L-shaped sectional, we have a spare bed in a pinch.

Not so happy to find that yarn bargain...

Ah, there's some bitter in the world today.

My "LYS" (Local Yarn Shoppe) is a little place called Cloth and Clay, right across the road from me. Upscale yarn, though not always crazy priced (some is, some is normal-priced for quality yarn, and there's always a bargain bin). They're also a little gallery gift shop, featuring Canadian artisan and crafter wares - jewelery, housewares, pottery, etc. I've shopped there for gifts and little treats since long before I picked up knitting again, as I've lived in this area a few years now, and since I DID start knitting again - well, no shop has EVERYthing you could want, but I always check there first. They've really improved their stock, variety, and organization in the last couple years, too.

Well, today it was made public that they are closing up shop. Nearly 35 years in business, 27 in Waterloo Town Square, and 14 with the current owners, but they can't keep it going any more. Town Square rent is too high, and there's no comparable venue that's more affordable.

Normally, a 50% off "lowest marked price" on yarn will have knitters slobbering, but boy, is that a bitter score for this knitter when you know it's the last you'll see of the place. I felt guilty, like I should apologize to the lovely staffer who was working the counter today (she's hangin' in there, but it's a sad time). I told her it feels a bit like fighting over the will before the funeral. The irony of such a thing is for the next month, they'll have more business than they could want all of a sudden, as everything gets picked over.

*snif*