Snug as a bug

There's nothing better than being inside on a stormy evening. And BOY! is it stormy tonight. The forecast calls for 5-10 cm, but I think we've got double that already...and it's showed no sign of slowing.

I'm also delighted with my new curtains. They're red and bright and cheery, and they give my large living room a warmer feel. What is even better is that they were on sale from 29.99/panel to 17.99 at Wicker Emporium, and I bought them on Saturday which was a tax-free day. Hooray!!

Brilliant!

I just have to share this....

My grandmother wins the award for the longest sock ever! She knit a sock for the hose of her vacuum cleaner so it wouldn't scratch the hardwood floors. I think this is the most brilliant idea ever and just consider how much time and effort this took! I'm impressed!

Last Minute Knitted Gift....

....Not so much.

I began the elephant from Joelle Hoverson's Last Minute Knitted Gifts in August, and only just finished it last weekend. Most of it knitted up easily once I figured out how to do a few new knitting techniques. I messed up on the trunk (it's actually upsidedown), and you might notice that one of its legs is shorter than the other. All in all I'm pretty happy with the finished product.

It was gifted to a 3 year old last weekend, and hopefully she'll get lots of enjoyment out of it.

I'm now working on knitting for Christmas gifts and would like to find a project to start with my beautiful new Malabrigo. Any suggestions?

Clementines are $4.77 at Superstore

Go buy some!

A shopping spree in the big city

While I was in Toronto, I went on a little shopping spree. I wasn't shopping clothes at designer shops, or for anything extravagant. I was shopping for things I knew I could get cheaply in Toronto, that I would pay more for here.

My favourite purchases were from one of my favourite stores in Toronto, Andalous. It's an import store where you can sometimes find neat things for really cheap, and then other times you find nothing at all. This time I found a cute purse (on sale from $28, down to $10), and 2 leather belts, one black one brown, for $5 each.

I also made a trip to Chinatown to get supplies for a Chinese theme night I'm having in about a week. I picked up 3 new pairs of chopsticks, chopstick holders for beginners, paper lanterns to decorate with and a Chinese fan as a souvenir for a little girl I know.

And, of course, I couldn't resist a little wool shopping. We stopped at Lettuce Knits in Kensington (how did I miss this shop when I was in Toronto?), but I showed restraint and saved my money for Romni. Romni is probably not the best knitting store in Toronto, but it's definitely the most amazing! It's not difficult to be overwhelmed when you walk inside.

The shop is big, and it's piled high with fibre of all kinds. There are at least 5 of the aisles like the one above, and then there's the basement (which is even more cramped), and a side room by the entrance where you can find knitting books and more wool. The prices are reasonable, for the most part, and naturally they have a huge selection of everything to do with wool. It was hard to decide on what to get and I ended up with an armful of wool that I had to reject (for the sake of my bank account). I settled on this Malabrigo Silky Merino.
It's my first Malabrigo and I have no idea what I'll knit with it - I really just loved the colour (Redwood Bark).And I also came back with a few books. Not as many as I had hoped because I missed the St. Michael's College Booksale, but I did spend some time browsing BMV and Book City and came away with three books that look promising. One in particular, Three Cups of Tea, I've been wanting to buy for quite awhile now, so I was especially pleased with this purchase.


All in all, I'm pretty happy with my purchases. I actually didn't spend that much money, but came home with a few things I'll get lots of use out of!

Dining in the big city

I'm back from a trip to Toronto. It was so good to see friends again and, as always, not enough time to see everyone! I was actually there for business but had the good fortune to turn it into a little vacation. I spent my time visiting, shopping and dining.

I'm going to post photos of the latter today, and save my shopping purchases for another post, another day. So, is it okay to admit that one of the things I miss the most about living in Toronto is the food? I miss the variety and how cheap you can get a delicious meal! So here are the highlights:

An Ethiopian feast from Ethiopian HouseWe ordered the Vegetarian Bayaaynatu plus 2 meat Bayaaynatu....and cleaned the plate of nearly everything! So delicious!!And then we ordered the Coffee Ceremony - strong Ethiopian coffee served with buttered popcorn. It's a perfect way to end the meal...well worth the extra 12.00.
Then there was the Japanese feast - the Supreme Bento Box at Sushi On Bloor. This is super value for your money. It's a 4 course meal - miso soup, then sushi....
The main course of teriyaki beef, tempura vegetables and shrimp, salad with delicious citrus dressing, served with rice. All of that followed with a dish of ice cream (mango, red bean or green tea).
And, last but not least, a Thai feast at Green Mango. I was surprised to find Green Mango had changed back to the set-up they had years ago when I first arrived in TO. They closed their take-out restaurant on the East side of Yonge, and now have the take-out inside the main restaurant. And there's more selection! I was sad to see they no longer have glass noodles (my favourite), but the basil noodles were equally as delicious. I ordered the peanut chicken and the basil chicken with extra cabbage salad - yum! All for less than $9!

And there were other delicious meals too - some in restaurants, some made in the kitchens of dear friends! All were enjoyed especially because of the company they were shared with!