I've moved to Typepad!
Please come and visit me in my new home:

http://brenda.typepad.com/

posted by Brenda 6:36 PM

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Just had a long talk with both my sister Nancy, and her husband Wendell. They are fine, but think they have friends and co-workers who have likely lost their houses. Nancy and Wendell are still a long way from the fires, biggest threat for them is burning embers igniting their area (forest area around their home is tinder dry). They have their important items packed and ready just in case. They've driven around the city a fair bit, and their descriptions of what is happening are horrific and amazing, news coverage doesn't even come close. People of course are frantic. They are apparently calling their homes to see if their answering machine will pick up. If it does, they know their house is there, if not, the devestating news that their house is gone. A press conference has recently ended in Kelowna, there are 203 homes flattened, likely more damaged. The fire chief talking was very emotional. Three fire fighters have lost their homes. Fighting the fires is in itself very dangerous. There have apparently been cases where fire fighters have almost been trapped. Please keep praying. Sorry if I'm rambling, even though I am far away, this is just so upsetting to watch the news coverage unfold.

posted by Brenda 12:14 PM

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I'm kind of freaking here. There are major forest fires in Kelowna BC, where my sister lives. Last I heard, she was not near the affected areas, but this fire is spreading so rapidly it may have changed by now. According to my parents, she and her husband were attending a neighbourhood meeting last night called by the fire chief. They haven't responded to my e-mail of last night yet, nor were they home when I tried them last night. I will try phoning again shortly. The devastation is horrific, as you can see from this website. In a city of about 100,000, there have already been 30,000 people evacuated. Please keep my sister and her husband as well as all of the residents of Kelowna in your thoughts and prayers. I'll update more later.

posted by Brenda 8:41 AM

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Thanks for all the suggestions for a new blog name. I guess I should explain, though, that the reason I'm thinking of changing it is simply because I'm tired of the old name. I've had a crochet website called "Close to my Heart" for serveral years, and just want something new. Additionally, there is a scrapbooking company by the same name, and I don't want to be confused with them. I didn't know about this company when I started my website. I like a few of the names suggested, as well as one idea that hubby had. I'm still open to new ideas though, so please keep them coming (please see previous entry for more info). I haven't decided for sure if I want to go to all the work of moving and setting up at Typepad (takes away from precious knitting time), but am likely moving in that direction.

Haven't done too much knitting this week. It's been crazy busy at work, plus I have some kind of bug, so have been pretty wiped in the evenings. I did finally receive the additional skein of copacabana, and started the neckline last night. I will hopefully finish tonight or tomorrow.

I have yet another potential fall/winter project. I almost hate to admit that it is in the latest issue of Vogue Knitting (the one with Daryl Hannah on the cover, renowned scarf knitter that she is, haha). I've been wanting a cable project, having very little experience with them. I really like this sweater. Crappy picture, but if you bought this issue of VK, it is on page 85. There is one cable going up each sleeve and the centre of the sweater. Simple yet nice.

Finally, there is a new and wonderful knitting blog to visit. Paula is even having an open house to celebrate her new pad. If you like the ocean, good food, good drinks, good music, and good company, you must check out this Maritime Kitchen Party at a mingling of threads. I know I'm heading over!

posted by Brenda 7:07 PM

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Don't you hate it when....

You make a mistake, and it is all your fault. That's what happened to me today. Been knitting and frogging away on the checkerboard shell, and it just didn't look right. Looked at the pattern and I had misread it all along. Oh well, I'm off and knitting now!

The additional skein of Copacabana didn't arrive in the mail as hoped today. It's not coming from far away, so should be here in the next day or two. Kind of dissappointed though, as I really wanted to finish that sweater today. I just hate having something so close to being finished sitting in my knitting bag. I even have the ends woven in!

On another note, I'm seriously contemplating a move to typepad. Seems as if other knit bloggers have good things to say about it. I would however like to change the name of my blog, but can't come up with anything. I'm thinking of something to reflect the part of the world that I live in, on Vancouver Island, right on the Pacific Ocean. So key words could be ocean, Pacific, western, coastal, island, etc. Any suggestions would be highly appreciated as I'm just not good at that kind of thing.

posted by Brenda 7:56 PM

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Finally, I'm getting around to showing you my purchases from Wool and Wicker last week. I got a little carried away, spent all of my birthday money and then some! I bought yarn to make two cooler weather sweaters. First, I purchased Mission Falls 1824 Cotton to make this sweater. The colours I chose are 208 merlot (which will be the base colour, the back is done in this colour only), 404 Indigo, and 105 Graphite. You can view all the colours here, although the graphite is really a lot more grey than it looks in the picture. The second sweater will be a short cardigan made from this:



(I know, back to pink!) They had the a sample sweater knit in the store. The yarn is Modigliani 100% Merino. Not cheap yarn and I now feel somewhat guilty, but it will be so nice to knit with and cozy to wear as well.

The copacabana sweater is as far along now as it can get until the additional ball of yarn arrives. All that remains is the neck band and sewing the side seams. Hopefully the yarn will arrive tomorrow, as I have the day off and it will be nice to finish this. In the meantime, I'm starting the checkerboard shell, using purple elann sonata, and Ann Norling pattern purchased from Karp Styles.

posted by Brenda 4:49 PM

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