something new...

so... there i was, standing for over an hour in the alleyway on a windy afternoon, with a flurry of plant parts and small winged animals (a.k.a., insects) flying into my hair, eyes, and (occasionally) mouth just to be able to share something incredibly special with you.

it is a slightly crescent-shaped shawl/scarf,, a generous 80 inches wide, with just enough shaping to stay put across the shoulders.   i loved the picots so much along the cast-on border, that i opted to repeat them along the bind off edge.  now, if only i can muster the courage to write up and possibly share my sketchy pattern(ish) directions.  

oh... and if you're wondering what i'm staring at in the first photo, this is the exterior of my building.

at least one of those windows belongs to my apartment, but perhaps i've said too much.  but i did take pictures of my upstairs neighbor's ivy-framed window... because i can't quite decide whether it's creepy or cool.

Sunday...

i've got super, huuuuge, exciting news, and i'm sharing it here first...

the tomatoes are starting to ripen!!!  seriously... that's as exciting as life gets around here.


after a couple inches of knitting, i transferred the new scarf to a piece of cotton yarn to check that i'd cast on enough stitches (would hate to get all the way to the end, then discover it's not long enough to keep my neck toasty)...

and spent the best part of the day laughing at this...

can't think of a better way to end my post-a-day week.  thank you to anyone out there who actually read any part of it, or just looked at the pictures... or even clicked long enough to realize that you weren't interested in my non-adventures.  [Roberto, your sweater is on the "knitting to get to... once the hottest part of summer's done" list, which should (hopefully) give me enough time to get over my squirrelphobia.]

Saturday...

i'm not usually a fan of tuna salad, but beer makes everything tolerable, especially on a hot summer's day...

this is one of my recent hand-dyed yarns.  it is a mill-spun, fingering weight silk/merino (50/50) blend.  i spent the last couple weeks daydreaming about a special scarf, and and i got about 25% of the way through constructing it in a different yarn, but that little voice in my head kept whispering, "Philly"... so i frogged the first effort and spent the early part of the morning casting on (would have been quicker had i not opted for (gasp)  girly picots). and, yes.. i always listen to the voice!

the color was inspired by my little kitty, whose coat is a tonal study in grey.  i love semi-solid colors, and i'm rather pleased with this one.  hopefully, i will do it justice...

Friday...

Montreal's on fire... or so it feels lately.  it's not really the heat, but the humidity that makes even the smallest task feel like a near-exhaustion crawl through the dessert.  i'm trying to harness my recent bout of energy (i.e., mild mania) into getting something productive done, but anything more taxing than going to the fridge to get a cold drink results in a sweat-soaked nightmare... so for now, i'm mostly daydreaming.


it was a sunny day out, so i opened all the windows and curtains (which is significant, as i generally try to maintain a cave-like atmosphere in my surroundings.

the windowsill tomatoes are experiencing an identity crisis, as they seem to think they're vines.  i had to wedge a piece of bamboo into the window frame to tie them to when they outgrew the original stakes and started growing sideways.  the stems are at least 8 feet long at this point, and are tangled together around the bamboo pole (which is more apparent silhouetted against the sunny window)...

and the immature fruit are hanging in chaotic clusters throughout...

these were the first two to develop. i check on them multiple times a day, waiting for the first signs of ripening...

and i spent a few minutes taking photos of a recent dyeing adventure.  apparently my bed is the one place in the apartment that offers true-to-life coloring for taking pictures.  the crazy things you learn when you let the sunshine in!

Thursday...

still need to catch up on sleep, so i'll try to be brief.  there's much i'd like to say about this meal... but i'll leave that up to the imagination....