So much, yet so little

I am back home again. Good and bad.

First off, the good - ish. My old camera finally failed me one too many times. It's gone to a good home - my brother has taken possession and he's going to tear it to bits to see what's gone wrong. But at this point it looks like a lost cause. And here's where the good (ish) comes in.

I cannot be without a camera. I just can't. So, this means, of course - I have a new baby. I loved my digital elph, and so when I was looking to adopt a new one, I didn't have far to look. Here's my new baby. (yes, it's a mirror shot because it's fun and I'm a geek)


And speaking of new babies, I finally got to meet little Nicole. She didn't really wake up much while I was there, but she'd had a tough day involving thrush and rashes, so I can understand. And finally meeting Nicole meant, of course, finally getting to present the blanket. I think they liked it. Now I want to make another. But first, here is Nicole.

And, of course, the little show stopper herself, Dana.


It was nice getting to see them all again - after living with them for six weeks (well, not so much with Nicole) last summer, they kind of felt like a surrogate family, and I really felt like I lived Alone when I finally went back to my own place.


As for the Olympics - yes, I did cast on last Friday, during the opening ceremonies, even. Here is what I have so far. I'm making progress, which is gratifying. Especially since I had to restart it four times the first night. This is my real Olympic challenge - it's not that the pattern is very complicated, or that there are any new stitches or techniques here for me. What's the real challenge is that I have to pay close attention to what I'm doing. I'm used to patterns that are mindless, or very repetitive, so that once I've done a bit, I can knit away without concentrating on my needles and yarn. But with this pattern, I have to read the pattern continuously as I go along, and I have been very easily distracted.

What I'm loving about this project is the yarn - I love watching the colours change, and not knowing what colour is coming up next.

But my biggest snag? I FORGOT my knitting bag in Windsor! I can't believe I did this. Fortunately, I had the scarf on its needles in a different bag, so I have that with me. However, all my other needles (including the Denise) and - most importantly - the second skein of Noro are in that other bag, which is currently sitting under the picture window in the living, right at the foot of the armchair, slightly askew from the wall. I can see it in my mind's eye so clearly. I can remember looking at it yesterday morning and reminding myself how important it was to remember to pack that in the car. As it is, there is no way that I can finish this scarf by the end of the Olympics when half of the yarn is sitting in Windsor. So I had to ask my mum to mail the whole thing to me. As it is, I won't get it until Monday at the very earliest. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself this weekend, with nothing to knit. And I am bound and determined to get this scarf done and blocked by the closing ceremonies. Considering that I've never blocked anything ever, and I only have a vague understanding of the process, I want to leave myself plenty of time to get it done. I keep looking back at the moment of realisation - on the 403, just after the 401 - when I finally realised what I'd done and swore aloud and loudly to myself in the car.

In the meantime, here is a gratuitous cat picture, part of the whole 'will I keep this camera or should I return it because my visa bill is so massive that it blocks out the sun?' trying out process.