Very mini haul

I was out doing errands for my mother today and I've reached the habit of checking out Dollar stores.  I've been on hunt for a specific type of pens sold at Dollarama and I finally found them (after visiting 4 other locations in the past 2 weeks).  I went elsewhere to continue mom's errands and went to another "Dollar Store".  I was about to walk back out when I finally found the quarter aisle of stationary.  I found a plain-ish set of star stickers for a dollar.  And then I saw the stamps - and not the cheap, crappy ones expected at a dollar store.  These ones are the same brand as the ones I've found at Michaels so I left with 2 of them and will be using them in my planner...obviously.

I also learned this week that not all Michaels stores are the same.  I went to a location that was by my old workplace, to see if I could find stickers and such for the Happy Planner.  I couldn't find the planner section at all, not even for their house brand, self building set. I asked the cashier and she said their location wasn't slotted to get the planners and therefore didn't get anything to do with planners.  That's just not right.

Happy I didn't wait

The "planners" I was waiting for, arrived today. I learned that I need to read descriptions more carefully.

It's still a nice enough but it's definitely not a planner.

It has potential if I make my own pages for it. One is definitely going to be used as is as a notebook. The other one will be set aside until I am better at making custom pages for it.

The brown one has an old leather feel to it, which I really like.  The green one is nice in colour but it doesn't feel anything like the brown one.

First new addition for the planner

After the first week with my planner, I realized I needed a quick way to get to the current week. So I made myself a tab to mark the week.

For my first try, it turned out okay. The construction and functionality is great. I just would like to have done a better lamination job.  On the design side, there's a lot to be desired. I can do much better, given enough time and I'll take the time to make a better one for a later date.

This gives me good encouragement to make things like dashboards and also lets me know that I do not need to get an Arc Punch.  A hole puncher and a pair of scizors can work just fine.  However, a laminating machine is much more cost effective that laminating sheets so I should save up and get one of those instead.

Happy Planner

I was finally able to get one of my planners on Sunday.  I went to Michaels' with my friend Jaci and made a bee line for the planners.  First thing I did was pick up the green one and hugged it to me like it was my favourite blankie.  I adore this thing.

It's a Happy Planner by Me and My Big Ideas.  I love the fact that's a disc bound system

I picked up many other things that day as well.  I got a mini stapler that has green staples (can't go wrong with that), washi tape, a couple of folders, sticker paper, larger disc rings from Arc, stamps, stamp pads...I felt like I went mad and loved every minute of it.

I was hesitant about how I would use my Happy Planner but now that I have it, I am seeing the potential left, right, YouTube, Etsy and Pinterest.  I am going to try and hold myself back and keep the decorating to one week at a time, preferably on a Sunday evening, before the new week begins.  Any appointments and reminders etc, will be added by either pencil or post-it note so that everything can be finally put in on the Sunday evening before.

I don't use the Morning/Afternoon/ Evening part.  I just don't sort my days like that.  I am still working out exactly how I will sort it but I'm leaning towards a daily To Do list, Reminders, Appointments and Due type of list.

I'm still waiting for the other one (it's really 2 identical ones) in the mail.  I got the stitch markers that I ordered the same day which is came from the same country so I assume that it will be very soon.

As I get used to this planner, I will post more about my journey of being more organized.

Planner Shopping

I am so anxious to get a planner. I do have one I purchased from my school bookstore however it doesn't have a monthly calendar and as I've been looking around, I just don't think it's enough. I've turned it into my Gratitude Journal since each day has a dedicated page.

I went into Indigo-Chapters to check out a Kate Spade planner. It only had the large size and it was the same thing at the Kate Spade store in the mall. While I like the general layout of it, I wasn't completely impressed. It's coiled and I can't move anything around.

I have 2 identical planners that are on their way to my house. They seem to be a good size based on the measurement provided on the website and they have binder rings. If the pages don't work, I can switch them out or make my own, no problem (other than wanting to use a heavier grade paper than regular computer paper).

On Sunday I'm going to Michaels with glee 😀 Me and My Big Ideas planners are now being sold in Canada through Michaels. I'm pretty sure this will meet my needs. I can move things around. I can customize it. I can change its size. The only thing I can't change is the vertical week layout. I don't know if I'll have enough space to write what I need. I won't know until I try it.

Missed Opportunities

I feel as if I had a missed opportunity and I really wish I had taken it.

I have the decent skill of singing and I enjoy it very much. I don't want to make my living at it, mind you but I do enjoy singing.  Unfortunately, I don't have as many opportunities as I did before.  Last night at my church, there was a Café Night, which contains musical performances, spoken word, dance, etc.  Someone asked me last night why I didn't sing.

My honest answer was no one had asked me. The thought never occurred to me to even ask if I could sing that night.  I had not actually had anything prepared.  I had a song in mind close to the end that I had done without accompaniment before but I also have the tendency not to always get the right key to start off on and generally it will end up being too high.

Despite all of that, I went home wishing that I had sung

In smaller pieces

I came to an understanding about myself as I finished washing the dishes.  I am better at doing small tasks than large projects.  This doesn't mean I can't do large project.  It just means I have to break the project down step by step and do then do all the steps.  I have a tendency to look at the big project, get overwhelmed and generally end up not doing anything which doesn't bode well for getting anything done.

I think this is why I really want to get a good planner going, and having it done exactly like how I want it done.  I'm going to try coming up with a few Gantt charts for the planner so at the very least, I can make a rough draft for whatever project I need to do and see what steps need to be taken.

On the Rails

Excited?  Definitely!  I went back to Ikea and got the proper rails I was looking for, Bygel Rail, and a couple more Bygel containers.  I kept my eye on the prize and did my best not to pay attention to anything else in the store.  I also stopped at Canadian Tire and got the proper screws since the rail doesn't actually come with them.  I was going to wait for my brother to help me but luckily my mom brought back some common sense into my head.

I put my bed together. 

I put my bookshelf together. 

I put my desk together. 

Why the heck do I need my brother to put a few screws into the wall?

It turned out great.  I probably should have measured it but I only have a tape measure which wouldn't even guarentee me a straight line, much less one parallel to the ground.  I eye balled it and it looks even to me.

I even added a few of my smaller plushies in the extra space on the rails. The top left bucket has Target from when I worked at Target.  I know his name is supposed to be Spot but now that's he's mine, it's Target. On the bottom rail are my 2 elephants from when I worked at Old Navy called Ella and Phanté and according to Ella's but, I've had them since 2006.

Research

Kinda apprehensive.  Kinda excited.  Kinda nervous  Kinda determined.  Why?  I want to do a lot better than I did last year for school and keep an upward momentum.  I believe a good plan can help with thatas well as a good planner.

In my previous post, I mentioned planner pages.  As much as I'd like to have a custom planner,  I don't have the equipment necesary at this time and I honestly don't believe I have the money to do it before the school year starts.  Therefore I have been looking online for the best planner that's affordable for me.

So far, I'm really liking the Kate Spade 2015 planner that I found on Indigo.  I read the reviews below and many people complained that the gold dots wore off very quickly.  If that's the only complaint, then it's not too much of a problem for me.  The one I preferred was the one with the black stripes across it.  The planner has the horizontal week to week section.  It seemed to me to be a hard find since most of the nicer planners I've seen online have the vertical day to day planner.  My writing takes up too much space for me to be able to use that properly.

While researching planners, a few things have popped out at me.  The Xyron and their sticker maker.  I want one so badly.  I found the sticker maker on Amazon (.com and .ca).  I also discovered the Sharpie Pens which can write washi tape.  On top of that, I saw saw tutorials on making stickers witha  regular printer and making post-it notes.  Put it this way, I have to find my way to Michael's or Walmart to get what is needed.

YouTube Videos that are inspiring me today:
- Alexis aka: MissTreenchcoat

Oh how I ♥ Ikea!

So...I bought a new desk from Ikea.  And it's about time too.  I've been living for 7 years using my bed or the kitchen table.

It's the Micke with Intergrated Storage.  The storage section is not the same size as the Expedit/Kallax shelving system unfortunately but it can hold some decent sized things.  I really do like it but it's only one part of getting this room and myself more organized. Since I've been watching many YouTube videos in regards to either planning or organizing, I also picked up these nifty Bygel containers.

I got 3 of them in white.  I opted out of the green since the walls are green as well and I think the white will stand out nicely.

I'm not ready to put of pictures just yet.  I puchased the incorrect....no, let's be more specific.  I picked up a drawer or door handle when I really wanted a towel rail to hang things off of.  So that has to go back to the store.  And since I'll be back at Ikea anyways, I can pick up the correct thing plus a few more and only spend a few more dollars.  Let's not go into the next Ikea trip I have planned to take in a couple of weeks or so.

There are ideas floating around my head to personalize this desk a bit more but that will have come at a later date.

Becoming a "Do-It-Yourself"er

As the new school year approaches, my mind is constantly thinking of new ways to become more organized and staying on top of my work.  In comes Pinterest with it's planner suggestions.

I have been on a YouTube kick of finding better Planners.  They are great but just about everything costs money and sometimes to an absurdly high amount (in my opinion).  Luckily while perusing through Pinterest, I found a video called How to Make Inserts using Microsoft Excel.  BOOM!  Mind blown and at a much more affordable rate.

I'm still trying to find a design that I really like.  I'm getting close but I don't think I'm there yet.  So far I have:

• Days of the Week
• Water intake
• "This Week" which is what need to be done over the week
• "Next Week" which is what is supposed to be happening for the upcoming week
• "Crafting Arts" which is where I can write down anything craft related for my blog
• "Random Ideas" for any ideas that I want to get down before I forget about them
• "Daily Checklist" which is a list of things that need to be done daily.  There is also an accompanying check box for this in the "Days of the Week" section

 

I still need to put together a month by month calender and maybe a day by day section as well.  I love Excel!  The next plan is to have a full size one that goes only with the portable one.

Good Yarn Related Week? It feels like it

WIPS
-Soft Stones by Ela Torente
Progress is feels like it's actually being made.  I finished the upper back, did the boatneck and now I'm working my way down the front.

-Cabled Helix Socks by Karen Buhr
The progress I've made is barely worth a mention.  I'm half way through the heel.  Since the last update, I was right before the heel...I will hopefully have more progress to show for this next update, like a completed sock.

-#100DayChallenge
As much as I love the Blankie, I have managed a couple of days without adding anything new...like Friday and Saturday.  I still manage to get some knitting done on other projects.

Almost an FO
-Plain Ol' Strippy Socks 
Eeek!  I had put these socks down months ago because I was struggling with picking up the stitches of the afterthought heels.  Tanya, lovely woman that she is, took my sock home with her and did it for me.  The only thing I have to do now is put in the heel.  I could have technically done this the same day she brought it back for me but somehow I didn't do it.  Next update, it will definitely be an FO.

Why this picture looks like it's a part of a romantic movie with soft focus is beyond me

Coming Back on the Needles
-Quick Silver
This shawl is so addictive and the only reason I put it down is because I wanted to make some progress on my other timed projects, which I have done.  So this week, I going to pick it back up again, especially since I have about another 2 weeks to get it done.

Stash Enhancement
It was mostly a pattern stash enhancement but of course, I do like what I got.
-Celtic Myths by Asita Krebs
A crescent shaped shawl, celtic themed cables with a bit of lace work that is available for free on Ravelry.

-A Little Old Fashioned by Lalie Roque
A Captain America themed circular shawl with a little crocheted edge.  The regular price is $3.50 USD but if you use the coupon code by May 31st 2015, you can get it for free.  (coupon code: language)

On a side note, as soon as I saw the pattern, I had to send a message to my friend JB because I knew she would LOVE it!

-Niamh by Woolly Wormhead
Cabled hat with buttons.  That was enough for me.  I love cables and if you can stylistically place buttons on it as well, I am all for it.  The regular price is £3.50 GBP

Stash Enhancement Amendment
This is kind of a stash enhancement but not quite since I already technically owned the yarn.  I dyed my first skein of  self stripping yarn.  I didn't turn out exactly as I was expecting however I have made adjustments to the colour recipe to fix that problem.

I call it The Evil Queen (or Regina).  It's a 4 stripe, 3 colour pattern.  The only problem as of yet is that it is very hard to see the purple.  I wanted a royal purple and somehow it turned into a navy-ish purple.  The other problem is that it's sandwiched between the blacks making it even more difficult to see...although now that I think about it this gives me 2 different colour way idea still based around The Evil Queen /Regina from Once Upon a Time.

I am anxious to dye another self stripping skein however I have realized I am getting low on acid dyes therefore, I need to learn how to use it more sparingly and to buy some more.  On top of that, I need more white or undyed yarn to continue with my expirimentations.

More than 5 days past since I was supposed to do this

I really can't say anything else other than I just didn't feel like it.  It definitely not that there was no knitting related things going on in the past almost week and a half.  I managed to cast on a shawl, enhanced my stash, participate in a VKN...I'm even currently dyeing yarn. Let's just get going on this.

Casted on
I was finally able to start my Quick Silver shawl and let me say that I love it and I am surprised with how much I have done so quickly. I'm also kinda proud since the blue yarn I used is my first attempt at dyeing with an acid base in my slow cooker.  The changes in the blue go from a dark sapphire colour to a really pale blue that's almost white.  The black yarn is from my shopping trip in my Stash Enhancement.

WIP
Soft Stones Sweater
Not much has been done on the sweater for this week since I have been focusing my attention on the Quick Silver shawl.  I have until the end of June, I think to finish it.  I did finally manage to get around to taking a picture and it definitely looks cool.  See?

#BBSC2015
I'm still making progress on my May socks.  As much as I like the Cabled Helix Socks, I didn't want to do the same design as stated in the pattern for the foot.  I have an idea in my head as to what I want to do and since I have never modified a pattern as much as this, I'm going to have to pull out some graph paper and draw it out...keep in mind I'm still on the halfway through the leg.

#100DayChallenge aka: Sock Blankie
I am not even sure how many I've done since the last update.  I missed Saturday.  Oh well.  I've finally made it to the other side of the blanket.  It's almost even and it makes me so giddy and happy.  I'm working my way back across.  Oh yeah, I also calculated how many squares I'll need for this...1446...yeah, I'm currently about 220.  This is going to take awhile. 

Stash Enhancement
Last week Friday, I met up with an old friend named JB.  We had so much fun.  We went to Lettuce Knit and Romni as well as a restaurant called The Grilled Cheese (absoulutely yum!).  At Lettuce Knit, I discovered many Canadian Indie Dyers and I wanted to leave with just about EVERYTHING!  Suffice it to say, I was reasonably good and left with a skein of Ancient Arts Fibre Crafts 100% BFL Yarn in the colourway Le Chat Noir and a set of fixed circular needles from ChiaoGoo (6US/100cm).  The yarn is so much softer and squishier than I thought it would be.

We then went down to Romni Wool.  Let's just say it was hard to leave with only 1 skein but I did it.  It was Regia World Ball Color Schachenmyer Nomotta (I think).  It's discontinued and I had to guestimate on the name of the colourway since it only had numbers on the ball label.  When I compared it to other skeins I saw on Ravelry, I looked like the colourway Madrid so we'll pretend that's exactly what it is.

JB also brought me a gift of mini-skeins to add to my Sock Blankie.  I haven't used any of them yet but give me time.  I know there's some self-striping yarn that I'm looking forward to using it. 

She even added some stitch markers she had made.  They are such a bright orange it's next to impossible to miss them but somehow I managed to misplace and not find it until the next morning.

Inordinately pleased with myself

I was unable to continue with the Exploration Station shawl because of this stitch.  I brought it up to my friend Tanya last week when I saw her.  She found a tutorial from The Purl Soho entitled Brioche Stitch.  So easy to follow the instructions there.

Next thing to learn: 2-colour brioche and then I'll be ready to take on the Exploration Station again.

Off week?

Quality time with mom
It's sad that my mother is recovering from a broken wrist but I must say that I love getting to spend time with her.  She just can't stay at home though.Twice this week she comes to my room and tells me that we're going out.  Monday we made it to Promenade Mall, close to our old house.  She made sure I came home with 3 dresses, 2 shirts, 3 tank tops and a sweater.  After that, we went out to Swiss Chalet and ate dinner together.  She actually ate something.  Today, she came back to my room and said that we're going out again.  This time we went to Vaughan Mills.  We found 2 dresses that she wanted to get for me.  I wasn't too fond of the price so we decided we'd come back later and hope that they were on clearance or sale.  We went to 2 more stores out of the mall and we each came home with new purses (mine is awesome and green and can fit a knitting bag so I definitely can't complain).  I told her next time we go out we're not allowed to spend any money or else we'll both be broke.

Happening...
I got a tea to go to.  I have never gone for tea.  I don't even really like tea however this is an opportunity to see some of my old co-workers (and maybe they'll have the option of hot chocolate instead).

WIPS
#BBSC2015
I finished my April socks over a week ago and I pulled out my May sock yarn.  I pretty much stared at the yarn up until Tuesday evening, when I finally cast on a pair of socks.  It wasn't the Maeve socks like I planned.

I'm doing the Cabled Helix Socks by Karen Buhr (I had done the test knit for the pattern last year) and the yarn is Groverkill by Indigodragonfly.  I refused to go to bed until I finished the cuff.  I started on the leg this morning and it's coming along well.

Soft Stones Sweater KAL
I casted on the Soft Stones Sweater by Ela Torrente last Thursday night.  It's coming along well but I'm still on the first section.  I had hoped to be further along before this upcoming Friday since I'm supposed to be starting the Quick Silver on Friday.

#100DayChallenge - Sock Yarn Blankie
For the first time since I started this challenge I not only missed one day but I ended up missing 2 in a row.  I came home after my last exam on Friday, talked with my mom while preparing food for church the next day and then promptly went to sleep.  I didn't wake up until the next morning.  On Saturday, I went to church and after we came home, we left again to go and visit a family friend and didn't come back home until almost 1 o'clock in the morning.  Believe me, knitting was the last thing on my mind was adding in a square.

I didn't even attempt to make any extras to make it up.  What's done is done but I got myself back on track and made progress on Sunday.

I do have somewhat of a picture of the current state (before the last added squares).  It's too big for me to take a full picture.  It's almost all 4 squares deep!  I am very proud of the progress that has been made.

I haven't managed to finish anything this week and I've been good and haven't added anything to my stash.  I nearly did though but it turned out I already had the pattern in my library.

Just a little bit of squeeing!

I attended my first VKN (Video Knit Night for the crafting-muggles) though Sarah from The Canadian Knitter's Podcast,  I have been wanting to join since she first started talking about them however with Wednesday night classes, it was a bit difficult.  Luckily tonight after class (which was a final exam), I looked on Ravelry and saw the notice of the VKN.  I clicked the link and got through.  So much fun.

As an added bonus, a question I had got answered.  One of the participants, JB, is the sister of one of my old highschool friends.  He even came on quickly to say hi before quickly departing.

And now that I've done this, I will be looking forward to other VKN

This week of knitting

Meeting other crafty people
I had everything planned for this weekend.  I was going to go to the Toronto Knitter's Frolic.  I have never been before and it sounded so exciting to go to the marketplace.  And then a wrench fell in my plans.  My mother had an unexpected surgery on Thursday and I stayed home with her on Saturday...the only day of the marketplace.  Sad as it is, I'm much more concerned with my mother's health than buying more yarn, especially considering I could go to an LYS in Toronto  at any other time of the year.  So suffice it to say I'm planning to go on an LYS trip in a couple of weeks.  I wish I did have the opportunity to meet more knitters though.

While waiting for my mother to come out of recovery on Thursday, I saw a woman crocheting a hat.  Despite not usually being a person to talk to people that I don't know, as an interested crafter, I started a conversation with her (and it also helped that she didn't like she was crazy or anything and she had a cool name - Hermione - never met anyone in real life with that name).  We sat there discussing crafting and the program she runs at her church to teach all kinds of crafting.  I pulled out my socks and she was fascinated by them since she's never tried to knit socks but she has done booties.  I plan to make my way to one of meetings at her church to see how it is once exams are done.

WIP
Vanilla Latte
The heel has been turned!  I love the FLK heel :)  I just have a good chunk of the foot to do but it seems quite feasable and I hope to be finished by the end of this month.  I am looking forward to wearing these socks!  The first one fits perfectly other than wanting it to be a bit longer on the leg.

Sock Blankie
Progress is being made!  I had to find the instructions on how to do a side triangle but I did it!  I think I only have 2 rows more to even out the top row but I don't know how long that is going to take. The hardest decisions for the blanket is picking out colours that I haven't used close together so to speak...and that sentence does not make sense.  I just need to spread out the colours and types of colours a lot more

Stash Enhancement
Nicole C. Mendez Yarn and a Stitch Marker
I have always wanted a pair of rainbow socks...or at least since I've gotten into the self stripping kick.  Random search on Etsy brought me to Nicole C. Mendez.  She seems to do rainbow yarns on a variety of yarn weights.  And the price is very inexpensive, especially considering the fact that it came from Germany.  On top of the price it arrived in just over a week.

Let's not forget about the stitch marker I got from her as well.  It's called Tree of Life.  Absolutely simple and beautiful, just my style.

Creations by Uli
Ever since I heard Ginny from Penguin Soup talking about her chain mail bracelet and stitch markers, I added Creations by Uli to my Etsy favourites and well as following her on Instagram.  When I saw the set with the Eiffle Tower, I realized this was the time to buy and I was not disappointed when I got it.  I showed them to Hermione and she asked me to order her a set.  I am definitely willing to buy more.

Soft Stones Sweater by Ela Torrente
This is what comes from stalking the "Patterns: Sales & Promo" thread on Ravelry...again. This pattern by Ela Torrente is exactly what I was looking for in a sweater.  It's a boat neck and it's got positive ease.  I can change it a 3/4 sleeve if I want to.  This one had me giddy.  It's on sale for 50% off until April 26th, Rome time...and that time has passed for the sale.

Quick Silver by Melanie Berg
I have been eyeing this pattern for a month or so after seeing on a podcast but I can't remember which one. 

KAL & Plans
#BBSC2015
Haven't selected the yarn yet since I'm not finished the Vanilla Lattes yet.  However, I really want to knit with Must Stash Yarn's Dark Side of the Moon, especially since there's a KAL going on starting on May 1st I think, or it's already started.  No prizes involved which is perfectly fine.  It's just for fun.

Soft Stones Sweater (by Ela Torrente)
First of all, got the pattern for 50% off.  I cannot complain.  It's a boatneck sweater which I wanted to make for a long time.  I think I have the yardage required in stash (or at least I will once I pull the Explorer Station shawl that I am obviously not finishing since I still can't Brioche...but I'm not bitter.  The KAL starts on May 1st and goes until July 1st.

The main colour yarn I've chosen is Wollmeise Twin in the colourway 13 AL.  I'll decided on the other 2 contrast colours later.

Quick Silver (Melanie Berg and Stitch Addiction)
It's all Kate's fault (host of the Stitch Addiction Podcast).  Before I even saw the latest episode, I saw the thread called Shawl KAL.  I went through my list of shawls that I wanted to do and narrowed it down to 4 patterns.  Then while browsing through that list of 4 trying to figure out what to do, I noticed that Melanie Berg, the designer of Quick Silver, is having an Any Shawl KAL, provided it's a Melanie Berg shawl...so why not?  The Stitch Addiction KAL starts May 1st and ends June 30th.  Melanie Berg's KAL starts on May 8th and goes until June 12th.

I don't think I have enough yarn in my stash, or at least I don't have yarn that I'm really inspired to work with in my stash...but I could always attempt to dye a couple of skeins...hmmm....ideas....

To Dye or Not to Dye
It will be called either Regina or The Evil Queen
Obviously procrastination is a big factor for me.  I can plan for ages and months to years later, I still haven't done it.  I have been wanting to do my first skein of a self stripping yarn.  The plan was to buy glass jars and dye it this weekend.  But what had really happened was that I bought 2 deep plastic containers and still didn't dye anything

Nightwing or Robin
I told one of my cousins I call 'kilah that I was going to knit her a pair of socks based on Young Justice.  By the time we finished on the discussion about colour, it as determined she just wanted it centred about Robin/Nightwing from the cartoon.  I'm pretty sure I can get the colours from what I have but since I have not dyed self stripping before (hint hint), I just don't want to mess it up since it's not for myself in the end.

On TV/Netflix this week
A Different World
This show is still pure awesomeness despite the fact it's from like 25 years ago.  I think I'm in season 5.  Dwayne and Whitley are engaged.  Ron and Kim are dancing around each other.  Ron and Freddie had a make out session on live radio without their knowledge.  Col. Taylor is about to become a father again.  Terrence and Lena are hilarious!  I don't know what I'm going to do when I finish watching all the seasons.  I seriously wish that there was a continuation of the show like 25-30 years later.

Arrow/Flash
I just don't know what to say without this becoming spoiler ridden for those who watch the show.  It is just awesome and I am looking forward to the spinoff that is supposed to come with the Atom (love Brandon Routh).  And Black Canary is really starting to come together!  I'm so excited.  There's only one thing that I didn't really like but I'm sure the characters will get through it and head in a better direction.  Maybe in the summer I'll go further into this...when people have had a chance to catch up and this season is over.

Orphan Black
Excuse me as I drool on the floor.  The clones are back!  While I am excited to see the Leda clones are back, I am seriously more interested in the Castor clones.  They seem to be a lot more self aware than their Leda counterparts.  I am still trying to figure out how Tatiana Maslani does it.  She played Sarah, pretending to be Rachel and you could tell that it really wasn't Rachel.  They're played by the exact same person!  Tatiana deserves all the awards for this show.  I could have used some more Felix this episode but I know he'll get more time as the season goes on.  Helena and her dream sequence was so sweet too bad it wasn't really happening although I do want it to happen for her.

All I really want to do is watch Dwayne and Whitley

I came no where close to knitting as much as I wanted to this week.  I guess I had other things on my mind like doing group projects, interview nerves and discovering that Netflix finally has "A Different World" which just absolutely awesome!

WIPS
I thought I would have been able to finish my April socks this week.  That definitely did not happen.  I am only half way through the leg.  There's no point of showing a progress picture of it at all.  I'm still oohing and ahhing over the way the colours are swirling around the socks

My Sock Blankie is the only thing that got constant attention this week.  I added 8 squares throughout the week  I really like some of the square designs I did, especially the stripping ones.  I was kind of bummed that I didn't add a square on Friday.  It was such a long day that I reached home 7p, went to bed about 7:30p and didn't wake up until almost 7a the next day.  I did 2 on Saturday to make it seem a little more balanced to me.

 

Isn't the pink on pink square adorable?

Stash Enhancement

I did not make any new purchases this week (being broke will do that to you).  This is a week of waiting for orders to come to me!  I got my first skein of yarn from Penguin Soup (aka: Ginny).  She's a Canadian Dyer that I discovered while looking for knitting podcasts.  I think Ginny was the inspiration for wanting self-stripping yarn socks.  I had every intention of buying a skein from her from when I first saw the yarn but being unemployed and then having limited employment makes one have to think twice on what money is spent on - darn transportation needs...

When I saw that Ginny was doing a Firefly yarn club called Firefly: The Shiny Club, I felt the need to finally get my toes wet in Penguin Soup yarn.  The first skein arrived on Wednesday and it is gorgeous.  Let me say one thing though, I hate sparkle.  I have always associated it with little girls, girly-girls, drag queens and Michael Jackson.  I do not fit into any of those catagories however I'm pretty certain my little sister is going from a little girl to a girly girl and she ADORES sparkly things.  I had one exception and that is for a diamond.  It's my birthstone and I want the diamond to be as sparkly as it wants to be as long as rest is generally sedate...wow, I kinda went off topic there.  Back to matter at hand...I don't like sparkles.

There is now another exception.  I like sparkles on the skein of Penguin Soup yarn I got this week.  It's no where close to overpowering and it so much nicer quality that a skein of yarn that I had previously purchased and ended up using for socks for my aunt.  She loved it.  I hated kntting with it and the sparkles were coming off on my hands.

This skein of Kaylee inspired sock yarn called "She'll Fool Ya!" is staying mine!

This week in my Knitting Life

This week has actually been pretty good in general.  My birthday passed and I didn't work on it either.  I spent it with family.  I had a blast with my much 2 of my brothers and my sister.  My dad and step-mother and the kids took me out to dinner.  When I got back home, I took selfies with just about every member of my family, looked through a ton of old pictures that my grandfather had.

I had my last day of work for Target Canada and I couldn't be happier.  It was a great place before liquidation started.  After it did, the customers seemed drastically different than the ones that used to come into the store before and it just made work no longer fun.  I got an email about a job the day before my last day, did a successful phone interview and I have a group interview on this upcoming Friday

#100DayChallenge
I spend way too much on Instgram.  That is a given.  I love to go through the Explore tab and this time I saw the #100DayChallenge.  Basically it's about starting a new habit or challenge for 100 days, take pictures and put it on Instagram and tag it....so I've got the first one going pretty good and the picture taking part but I think I'm going to nix putting it on Instagram because putting pictures of knitting squares seems kind of repetitive after the 2nd day.  And the reason for the repetitiveness is because I decided to add a square a day on my Sock Square Blankie.

I am liking doing this.  There has already been a day where I added 3 instead of just 1.  I still have to do a square a day no matter how many I went over the day before.  I can see a lot of progress being done on this project by the end of the 100 days.

I also added onto the challenge to drink water at least once a day.  I have a tendancy to drink a lot of soda and juice and if that's not available or the water is not room temperature, I have been know to just not drink anything at all for the day.  And since I got this cute tumbler from Target (one of my final purchases) with a feather on it, I drink at least one of these a day.  It also doubles as an alarm clock first thing in the morning.

WIPs
If I haven't been working on my Sock Square Blankie, I have been working on the Vanilla Latte socks.  I just finished the toe on Saturday night and tried the sock on.  I absolutely love it.  The FLK heel I did was the absolute best I have ever done.  I only have 1 little hole on the side but I'm working on perfecting my technique.  The sock yarn I'm using is from my stash.  I wish I had more...or that Knitpicks still made the colourway but now I do want to get other varigated sock yarns from Knitpicks.  It's been awhile since I've made an order.  We'll see.

I haven't done anything for the Plain Stripy socks but if I do manage to get the Vanilla Latte socks done this week (crossing my fingers that I do), I'll get cracking on them afterwards.

Stash Enhancements
A few weeks ago, while watch The Canadian Knitter Podcast on Youtube, Sarah mentioned a thread to watch on Ravelry called **Patterns: Sales and Promos.  It has now become a thread I check every day.  From there, I have found lovely patterns that are discounted for initial release (and sometimes that means free!).  From stalking the thread I have aquired:

• Rorqual Shawl by Laura Aylor
• Flieder Hat by Olya Bagi
• Leafy Lisa Shawlette by Kelli Slack
• Equinox Cowl by Nat Raedwulf
• Dragon to Butterfly Shawl by Dragonbird Creations

I think I'm on a "let's put it around the neck" kick.

Sarah mentioned specifically mentioned a pattern called FivebySix by Ellen Kardell.  It's free until April 13th so I took advantage.

On it's way
This is a wonderful week (or 2) for the mailbox for me.  I got a email notification that the first month of the Firefly: The Shiny Club by Penguin Soup is on it's way.  You can't see meright now but there is a huge grin on my face.

On top of that I went on Etsy and purchased a set of stitch markers by Creations by Uli.  I saw a set that she had made for Fibres West.  It had an Eiffle tower on it.  I love anything that reminds me of France (I'm also have a hankering to decorate my room in a Parisian theme and eventually get around to it). I just had to get, even though it's been weeks.

And because while scoping Etsy after my Creations by Uli purchase, I saw that a Rainbow Sock yarn by Nicole C. Mendez was available...so eventhough I said I was not going to be making any purchases due to an event at the end of the month, I saw the total for a tree stitch marker and the yarn and including shipping it was less than $24 including shiping.  So that's on it's way too.

On the other hand...
I need to pick out a pair of socks for early Friday morning.  I have no clean handknit socks.  I am half way through quite a few pairs.  I'm really wanting to wear the Vanilla Latte socks that I'm currently working on but I don't know if I'll finish it within the week.  I know I could get the Plain Ol' Stripy socks (Part Deux) done in time but I'm not sure if those are the ones I want to wear.

Knitting First World Problems...

Another week of knitting

Surprisingly (no...not really) I have no FOs this week but I do have a lot of progress, or at least I think so.

Works in Progress
I have 2 pairs of socks on the needles that I am loving like crazy.  Last week I casted on the non-April socks.  I have passed the heel for both of them since I am knitting both socks of the same time.  I tried on 1 foot and it fits pretty good but it feels like it could be tighter closer to the ankles.  I'm not sure how I'd accomodate since my calves require a 72 stitch count and so does the area before my toes.  The rest of my foot is slimmer but how do you accomodate that and still be able to put on sock?

I am in love with this yarn.  I had to stop myself from buying another skein online last payday since there's a plan for the end of the month which does not involve me ending up with a ton of yarn with no money left.

Anyways, sock #1 of the Vanilla Latte socks is almost done.  I'm pretty certain I have less than an inch left before starting the toe :)  I was going to finish the sock tonight but somehow I got distracted with watch "19 Kids and Couting".

Kinda random but not quite
On Instagram there's a 100 day challege that started on April 6th (so I'm a day behind).  To participate, I pulled our my Sock Blankie and decided to do a square a day for the next 100 days.  Quite possible since I'm at home every evening and it doesn't take long to do a square as it is.  I have a lot of left over stash plus mini skeins to go through.  I'm pretty sure there's still going to be a lot of work to add to it after the 100 days but here Day #1's challenge:

 

Wow, those pictures did not turn out the way I wanted tehm to.  Got to work on that.

As I was saying before, I'll finish up this square before I go to my bed tonight and get it ready for a new square tomorrow (aka: pick out the next colour ready to go)

Extreme Frustration

I have stopped myself from updating my iPhone 4S for quite some time.  I finally updated my iTunes and said "why not?" and updated my phone as well.  Suffice it to say it's been over 18 hours and I still stuck in recovery mode.  I've already determined that I'm going to loose everything on my phone but I would actually like to use it! 

I've had to resort to using my mom's iPod Classic.  Now my iTunes is not downloading audio podcast episodes.  What the heck am I supposed to listen to?

I know...First World Problems! But it's annoying!

My Knitting Week

So close to 2 FO's but I haven't finished them yet.

I currently have my Plain ol' Stripy socks on the needles that just need a heel in the second sock.  I'm pretty sure it's been 3 weeks since I did the 1st sock.  I pretty sure that as of now I just don't like doing afterthought heels.  I feel like I really have to finish these because having tbem on the needle for any longer is going to drive me up the wall.

The other pair of almost FO's are the Smokestack socks by Tanis Lavallé.  I'm on the foot right now and from past experience with the first foot, it shouldn't take me too long.

Casted On
So with all the other things I need to finish, please explain to me how I casted on another pair of socks?  These are not the April socks.  Those are still on top of my book shelf waiting for me to finish the Smokestack Socks.  No, this is from my stash that is supposed to be for next year.  I just wanted a pretty simple pair of socks to knit so I hemmed and hawed and pulled out my Desert Vista Dye Works sock yarn that I JUST got, paired it with some leftovers I have from Springtree Road (so sad that I don't have anymore skeins) and voila! Mona has a new pair of mindless knitting socks to travel with.  I am loving the colour combinations, although right now it looks like Christimas but by knitting with this skein of DVD just makes me want to get more!  I finally understand what the Apple Blossom and Ewe Podcasters were talking about.

New goal: buy more skeins!  And I don't care if I have to wait for them!

Wonderful...somewhat sarcastic and definitely not sarcastic

Sarcastic "Wonderful"
Tuesday evening I started mixing out my dye for the dark rich purple I was looking for (for future referrence, I used 2 tsps of sapphire blue and 1 tsp of vermillion red I think).  Somehow I didn't realize that this mix was to be used for stock and not for straight dyeing until about 30 minutes after I put in the yarn but "oh well, let's see how this turns out".  I checked this morning and I started the rinse out.  The yarn looked black.

Me: Okay, cool.  First try and all that.  Definitely need to water it down by alot next time.

Continued rinsing out and my fingers are turning purple as well as my nails which are much harder to clean.

Me: I really should have followed the directions that said to use rubber gloves.  Ooh! This is looking like a really nice, dark navy blue.  Let's rinse some more.

Suffice it to say at last check at around 5pm, I am still rinsing out dye.  The yarn still doesn't look purple but I do like it if it stays at this navy-ish colour and I still have 75 g left to get the right colour.  If this colour is repeatable, I would definitely call it "Might as well be black" since that is exactly what I was thinking when I first started rinsing it out.

ETA: it's been over 4 days, and I'm still washing dye out of it

Not Sarcastic Wonderful
Also on Tuesday at my knitting circle, one of my friends brought a collection of...let's just call it Crafting Books (she really does everything except for spinning yarn - I checked - and flower arranging - since her thumb is really not green according to her).  I saw a book about Knitting Stitch patterns.  I flipped through the pages and I wanted to put the book in my bag and run away with it.  The books were not for sale.  They were for viewing only.  This only made me determined to finally purchase the Stitch dictionary I have had on my wish list for Chapters since I started knitting.  And then she surprised me by offering a trade.  I can keep the book and in return, I knit her a pair of socks, in purple of course.  I asked her if she didn't mind waiting for it.  She doesn't care, as long as I knit her a pair of socks.  I can do that!  I just need to actually get purple yarn.  I still have a skeing from the 2013 Cookie Sock club but it has no nylon so I still don't want to knit socks from it.  One of these days I'll figure out what I'm going to do with it.  Maybe trade it away.

Well that didn't exactly work out as planned

I was excited when I got home to wind the yarn on my home made warping mat.  It was a fun try but I have to find a much betterway.  The mat was bending as I wrapped the yarn around the push pins.  The push pins were trying to pull out of the mat.  The yarn was trying to escape it's restraints.  When I had about 50% of it done, I said "Forget it!"  I tied acrylic yarn where I had marked for colour change, carefully removed what I had wound around the bending mat, went up to the kitchen with scizors and the remaining acrylic yarn.  With the help of my cousin, I stretched everything between 2 chairs and paced back and forth wrapping the yarn around the chairs.

Next part is to figure out how to make the right kind of purple.  I wanted to test out the mixing process for making a colour so I took out another skein and divided up into 25g skeins.  I'll try tonight with the mixing and see how it turns out for tomorrow.  I can't wait to see the results. If it works, I'll try it on the big skein afterwards hope.

Ideas can hit at the oddest times

I have been wanting to dye a self stripping skein of sock yarn for awhile.  I played around with variegated and tonal and they are easy enough to do but of course it's much harder if you're actually aiming for a specific colour.  Self-striping takes a lot more planning, or at least they do with me.

I finally determined how much yarn I knit with for 1 row. (33.5") and then I sat on the information for like 3 weeks before starting to do calculations to find out the yardage for 1 colour repeat that I want to do....I don't have anything big enough the yarn on.

With some late night ingenuity while trying to go to sleep, I pulled my blocking mat (aka: the puzzle piece foam mats people put down for kids to play on), pulled out some pushpins from my cork board and my measuring tape and went to work.  I didn't get to far before I realized that I didn't have enough space. I took out piece of paper and drew a diagram of what I had on my blocking mat, added some dots for the missing push pins, through in some numbered lines to make things even more confusing and came up with a good solution.  I still have a couple of things still left to purchase (like more pushpins) and something else to find (like the permanent marker I know for sure I own that I cannot find at the moment). I hope to have my first skein wound and sectioned off by the end of the week.

The first colour I really want to try is a self-striping I have called The Evil Queen, based on Regina from Once Upon A Time.  I also discussed it with one of my friends Cathy who is a major fan of the show aswell and she said it sounds perfect in colour (she also thought my idea for Archie was perfect as well).  The colours for The Evil Queen are going to be Black -> Purple -> Black -> White.  Only problem is that I don't believe I have any purple dye which means I have to mix and I have never tried mixing colours.  Do you mix the powdered dye or do you mix the liquid dye?  Or maybe I should try both on link 5 grams of yarn to see if I can create the perfect purple to use...time to pull out another test ball of yarn and chopping it up so I can test out colours that I have mix together to get the colour that I need.

Also, it is pretty fun to come up with different colourways names and what colours are a part of it.

My Knitting Life for the past 2 weeks

FO
I had a quick FO in the past week and a half.  I started it on Thursday on the bus on the way to work, finished it the next Monday and weaved in the ends on Tuesday morning.  I made the Bankhead Hat by Susie Gourlay.  I saw the a WIP and FO by Sarah of the Canadian Knitter Podcast and decided on Thursday that I needed to make a hat so I did.  I did a good amount of that work on Saturday night at a housewarming with people I've known my whole life staring at me in awe that I can knit and that I do in fact actually knit.

Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted Multi

Colourway: Black Purl

It is bigger than I thought it would be but it's good to cover hair that is not actually styled the way I want it to be soon.  I'm going to make another one with a smaller set of needles and casting on 10 less stitches.  I think that should be enough.  The only problem is that I barely have any worsted weight stash that is not acrylic.  I have to do something about that.  It's quite appealing to have a project started, finished and able to be work so quickly.

WIP
It's almost a HO thought!  I working my way through the Smokestack Socks by Tanis Lavallee.  It is a beautiful pattern and it makes this sock yarn look much better than I thought it would when I got it in the skein.  I'm further behind than I wanted to be but with good reason.  I put the socks aside to work on my sister's cowl and to make the Bankhead hat but excellent progress was made since, especially considering my prime time of knitting at my knitting circle was barely used since I left early due to not feeling well.

Yarn: Knitpicks Stroll Tonal

Colourway: Folliage

Stash Enhancement
With a lot of hemming and hawing, I joined a 3-month yarn club.  It's by Penguin Soup (aka: Ginny).  I have been wanting to buy a skein of yarn from her since I started watching her podcast just under a year ago.  She got me this time.  It's Firefly themed and she said there's going to be a skein that matches Jayne's hat.  How could I say no to that?  And I might as well take advantage of it while I still have money to get some sock yarn.

I recently added my first skein of Desert Vista Dye Works.  The colourway is Zombody Loves Ewe.  I felt like I should have bought just for the name alone.  I love it and I plan to purchase more at a later date (job pending of course).

Yarn: Dessert Vista Dye Works Viso (self-stripping)

Colourway: Zombodie Loves Ewe

I had the intention of going to the Purple Purl today (as in Friday) before I went to class.  It is clear on the otherside of Toronto but the store opens at 10 on a Friday right?  Wrong.  It opens at 11. Much to my disappointment I couldn't get there, come back for lunch at school and then class afterwards.  Since I knew exactly what I was looking for (Turtle Purl Stripped toes sock yarn), I looked online and found only 1 other location in Toronto sells it, The Knit Café.  There weren't too many options for colours but I left with the Snow White colourway which is perfect since I'm going through a Once Upon A Time phase (the show is awesome and Pan is a grade A jerk).

Yarn: Turtlepurl Yarns Striped Turtle Toes

Colourway: Snow White

And what will I be doing with all of the skeins of yarn?  Stash 'em of course. I'm in the midst of going through my Red Paper Bags of socks still (I've finished 2 and I'm working on the 3rd out of 11).  They'll be added to my sock stash that shrinking for after I finish my challenge.

I've been doing good otherwise.  No new patterns either paid or free...no wait, I downloaded a free pattern.  It was Speargrass by Susie Gourle, the same designer of the Bankhead hat.  And I got the official pattern for a test knit for a pair of socks.  It is absolutely gorgeous however it won't be available for purchase until March 2016 as it is a part of a sock club

They Loved It!

I was finally able to give the gifts I had prepared for my siblings last Saturday.  It was actually pretty funny since I tried to catch all 4 of them before church service started.  Of course with my 2 youngest brothers, they couldn't just come alone....they had an entourage asking why they hadn't gotten a gift.  I told them to wait until they became my sibling...tweens...

Silly me didn't think of even taking pictures, especially of the mini-Pinebough cowl I made for my sister.  She willingly came up to me and gave me a hug.  If you knew my sister, you'd understand that is hard pressed to do unless you are her parents or you're offering her some kind of sweet. 

My brothers were very happy with their gift certificates to the book store.  My oldest brother told me how he was trying to stay out of the bookstore since there was a book he really wanted and didn't have the money to get it.  I guess he'll be making a trip quite soon.

My step-mother was telling me about the reading my youngest brother is doing.  He devours books more than I ever did as at his age.  It could be in French or English, fiction or non-fiction, he will read it and ask for more.He definitely beat me in the regards to French.  I only read those books under duress and was much more likely to find a copy of it in English.  He apparently was wanting to read a book about Canadian Law and something else or another...the kid is 12.  I am in awe and I can't wait to see what his future will entail.

My middle brother was just happy to get a gift.  I don't think he has any outstanding plans just yet for his gift certificate but he did ask if I could make him a hat.  I told him I'd think about it.

They're no longer for Valentine's Day

I tried really hard this week to finish the gifts for my siblings for Valentine's Day. I got the gift certificates, the bags, the tissue paper, the cards etc. The only things outstanding was the assembling of the gifts and finishing the scarf I was making for my little sister.  It wouldn't be so bad if I saw them more that once a week however, I really do only see three of them once a week and I would like to give it to them all at one time. So now everyone will get their gifts next week (darn bad time management with 4 tests for the week).

I've got it all planned out!

Next week is my Reading Week. I have never had one before and I didn't have a job when I was in highschool so not so much fun in March Break. I'm my Business Law teacher scheduled our first test for the week after Reading Week which leaves me with only 1 test to study for. 

I've decided that I will be going to: 

1) purchase a spindle and fibre to spin

For the past couple of months I have wated to learn how to spin my own yarn. I found out from EweWhoKnits (from the EweWhoKnits podcast) that Romni Wools sells spindle. I don't know what kind of spindle I'm going to buy but I know for sure that I'm going to purchase a 3-D printed Turkish Spindle from TurtleMade on Etsy. As for the fibre, I hope I get something with Merino.

2) visit a yarn shop I have never been to before

I'm just surprised I've only been to 3 yarn shops in Toronto. I am goin to rectify that next week. I know there's one not far from my workplace but I don't remember what it's called and that's the one I'm going to

3) purchase a skein of self-stripping yarn

The only reason I'm doing this is because I don't have anything in my stash that is not in my Brown Bag Sock Club bags and I need something mindless less to knit while I visit the museum. I haven't decided if it'll be from the yarn shop or Michael's

4) visit the Bata Shoe Museum

I have lived in (or just outside of) Toronto my whole life and there are so many places I have never been to (or it's been so long that I barely remember it). I've tried to get my aunt or my cousins to come with but one is working and the other has other things she wants to do for Reading Week. So I'm going by myself and I'm sure I'll enjoy the heck out of it.

I didn't think I would feel inspired by the numbers

Wow!  Apparently nothing inspires me to look for a new part time job then to see how much money I could save in the next 3 years.  The company I work for is closing.  It's sad since I really liked the people I worked with.  It doesn't seem as bad as when I lost my last position due to automating my job since I'm currently in school.  I just want another part time job so I can save some more money and support my yarn habit.

On a knitting note, I had planned to frog some of my projects that I hadn't touched for ages.  I unravelled the Tree of Life socks since I have no clue where I was in the pattern.  I reached for the Daybreak Shawl that I had started in 2013 (I didn't even realize it had been that long) but I saw that I was practically finished so I picked it up this week and just finished it today.  I still need to block it and such and take a decent picture of it but YAY! A shawl for me!

Next project to work on furiously is my sister's Valentine's Day Cowl that I'm happy that I didn't do in Valentine Colours.  I got to finish by Friday, along with studying for 4 tests and working 3 days.  This should be a fun week.

Working on saying "Bye" again

Almost 3 years ago, I had to say good bye to people I had worked with for up to 4 years.  It was hard.  Now, I have to prepare to do it all over again with a lot more people. 

The news came out today, surprising everyone.  The customers offered their condolences and wished that it didn't have to happen.  I completely agree with them.  I had planned on staying where I was until I finished school in 2 and a half years.  I have to start all over again and I hate doing that.

All of my co-workers are collecting each others contact info with plans to all keep in contact and I hope that we all follow through.  I love 'em to death and if I could, I would always be working with them.

Quick little vent

I got kind of annoyed either last night or early this morning in regards to custom content I was searching for for my Sims 2 game.  I was looking for a poster or pamphlets on a specific subect for my sims game, to make a sims dormitory look more realistic.  I searched on Google and other various Sims 2 Content sites that I knew of and I couldn't find anything.  Since I have been away from the community for a few years, I went to a WCIF (Where Can I Find) thread on Garden of Shadows forum since this is generally the kind of stuff that the members would know where to find.

I read the rules for posting for a WCIF and they said I was required to do a search, be clear in regards to what I was looking for and put a picture.

I was fine with 2 of those but I did not have a picture since I had never seen it anywhere before for any Sims game.  I told posted that I was looking for either posters or pamphlets of any kind in regards to the topic and stated where I had already searched.  A kind hearted soul gave me a tumblr link which did have something to do with what I'm looking for but I wanted more variety that just that.  I didn't reply, hoping that maybe another person would be able to be of assistance.

Another reply game through maybe last night from a mod stating that since I had not put up a picture that no one was to reply to the post.  First thoughts in my head: "If I had a picture, I would have put one up" and "Well that was rude".  I promptly closed the tab on my browser and said forget it.  If that was the kind of response I was going to get despite being a member of the forum for well over 5 years why bother asking about anything.

It still kind of irks me with the reply.  I am generally a person who looks for the least negative postion however I found the response to be rather rude but since I do not own the forum and neither am I a mod, I didn't not want to give off the attitude that was going off in my head.  I will quietly go back to a forum that I prefer since in general they are much nicer even though the kind of posters or pamphlets I'm looking for would not be anywhere close to what is generally asked for around there.