Passports

In preparation for a trip to Virginia, we needed to get passports for the Jesse and the boys. I do not like the idea of mailing away our birth certificates, so the only other option is to take them in to Winnipeg. Jess was too busy to make a weekend trip out of it, so we decided that I'd take the boys in and make a one day trip.

To make a long story short: Passport applications were a logistical nightmare...........

...............but this was fun.

Black light mini-golf.

We were the only ones there for most of the time, 

so I was able to let the boys sort of just roam around.

Elias was more into dancing than golfing.

In the end, the one day trip took two, but the boys had a blast and the necessary paperwork was filed.

The website : http://www.u-puttz.ca/

Happy little accident.

Made for my nephew Robbie:

Free pattern here: http://bernat.com/pattern.php?PID=3999

This is one of my favourite patterns. Although I don't so much like connecting all the squares, it is well worth it for the end result.

I made this one for Elias while I was pregnant.

It is now a couple of years old, and has been well loved.

The blue one is made in the original pattern, with the suggested yarn. The orange/green one is made with Bernat Softee Baby, and just a different arrangement of the blocks. I liked the Softee Baby yarn better. It seemed a little sturdier and warmer, and less likely to stretch out of shape like the blue one has done. 

I actually didn't even notice that I'd arranged the blocks differently than the original pattern, until I started posting. I'm guessing that's why I ended up liking the orange/green one so much more than the blue one. A happy little accident. 

Knooking

I'm not exactly what you would call an "excitable" person, but this has done it folks......I'm excited.

Knooking is the latest craze in the yarn world and I'm dying to try it! I LOVE crochet, but my knitting skills are quite juvenile. Normally this is not a problem since pretty much anything that can be knit can also be crocheted. However, when it comes to socks and mittens crochet just doesn't cut it. Its nearly impossible to crochet socks or mittens that are not too stiff, and that's IF you can find a pattern. Of course you can go for a more lacy pattern, but then they won't be warm. SO, unfortunately for us crochet lovers, the only choice is to suck it up and knit them. This is problematic, since socks and mittens are some of the more difficult things you could choose to knit. So logically there are two options. 1. Start with easy projects and learn how to knit well. (Blech, not interested.) and 2. Attempt knitting socks, and just suffer through it until you figure it out. (I've tried and tried, and its just not going to happen.) And that's where I've been for quite some time now.

Well apparently I'm not the only one, and now there's a new option.

 Introducing the Knook:

http://www.leisurearts.com/how-to-knook

It is quite simply a crochet hook with a hole in the end that you thread a cord through. You then use the hook to knit. Yes, knit not crochet. You will use the hook to make actual knit and purl stitches, not look-alikes. This means that you can knook any pattern written for knitting. The link above has lots of instructional videos for all the different stitches.(They're also on youtube) So the only problem so far is that the only size of knooks currently available are the medium sizes, suitable for sport or worsted weight yarns. These size yarns can be used for socks, but I want to use a fingering weight wool for a warm, but light sock. Thankfully I'm not the first person with this problem either. 

Ronda at I'd Rather Be Knooking has solved this problem for me. 

http://knooking.blogspot.com/2011/03/sock-knooking-hook.html

I've called my local Michael's Store, and they have the Pony Bead Lacing in stock. So now I'm very impatiently waiting until my next scheduled trip to Brandon so I can get started. 

I also found a very helpful thread on Ravelry.

http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/knooking/1106986/1-25#reply_form

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that with the knook, you can easily switch back and forth from knitting to crochet. My brain is running wild with ideas!

Update: Well, I made the knook with pony bead lacing, but I'm finding the lacing to be too "grippy". Its not a problem with the yarn, its just when you're working the row that the lacing seems to grip the hook. So it works, but not smoothly. I'm looking for another solution.

Christmas Shoe Boxes

Operation Christmas Child

                           

You can now pack a box online too.

For more information http://samaritanspurse.ca

We used plastic containers instead of the cardboard boxes this year. It costs a little extra, but then the kids get a reusable box too. This year we choose the oldest age group, 10 - 14 years. At this age, in these countries we figured that these kids would probably be taking care of their families. So we sent a lot of practical things. 

This year's boys' boxes.

Water bottle, notebooks, soap, pens, pencils, erasers, pencil sharpener, dental floss, toothbrush, ruler, scissors, scrub brush, mini gloves, duct tape, nail clippers, hot wheels, tin, shake flashlight, underwear, socks, face cloths, combs.

 This year's girls' boxes.

Sewing kit, stickers, notebooks, hair elastics, tin, mini gloves, nail clippers, shake flashlight, ruler, can opener, bamboo wooden spoon, dental floss, toothbrush, measuring spoons, soap, water bottle, pens, pencils, erasers, pencil sharpeners, underwear, socks, face cloths, combs. 

 The boxes weren't quite stuffed full yet, so I added a bunch of ziplock bags.

Don't forget the shipping ($7/box)

Packing the boxes was like a really challenging game of tetris. They ended up packed so tightly that I decided to include a packing list for the inspection centre, just in case they take one look at the box and don't want to unpack it.