Sadly I really don't have much knitting news to share. I am still plugging away at my second shawl. I am not knitting very much while in Tatamagouche because my parents don't have TV and that is when I do most of my knitting. So because I don't have any knitting pictures I am going to break up the post with pictures of cute animals. This is Leif, my mom's dog, and is probably the most exuberant, optimistic animal I have ever met. He is so trusting of the world that he has been known to job off of high ledges into people's arms, assuming they will catch him as he falls.


Things are going well on my placement. I am getting a lot of good experience and it is really rewarding to watch as people get better every day. At the same time though it is really frustrating when people peak in their abilities, but it is still not enough to allow them to go home. I can't help but imagine how I would feel if that was one of my parents or my grandparents, and I really share in people's grief over the loss of their independence.

I am at the Pictou library right now. I had fully intended to give a nice long knitting update but I just got a call from my Mom and I have to go home. I guess emergency child care is needed for my neighbor. So dear patient readers you will have to wait a little while yet for a proper update.

Here as promised is a post with some pictures! Finally! From now on I will probably only be updating 1-2 times a week as where I am staying in Tatamagouche does not have any high speed internet. I will try to update when I am back in Halifax for the weekend, or take my laptop to an internet cafe or something. I promise not to drop off the face of the planet for 6 weeks like I did when I was in Saint John though!

So here is my blocking lace shawl. I learned a couple things during this process such as:
- Always make sure your wire is through two threads of yarn on the edge
- Don't block lace at 10:00 at night when you are really tired and impatient and there is no light
- Blocking is kind of a pain in the ass, but totally worth the effort


So what is that I am using as a blocking board? High density Styrofoam that my parents are using to insulate the basement. It works amazingly well! And you can buy 8 feet of it for $20. I am considering investing in some, as at really did work well.


I am really happy with how the shawl came out. The pattern is so pretty and so simple and so addictive. Bonus: It's a garter stitch lace so you always get to knit every other row.

So dear readers, where might you ask am I typing this post from? Well I am typing from my brand new laptop. It is oh so very shiny, and oh so new!! The computer place told me that was laptop could not be saved, so they sent me a new one, that is actually quite a bit nicer than the last one was. Right now I am going through the long process of updating all the software I need, and restoring lost data.

I had my first week of fieldwork this week. I have to say, I am really happy that I chose this site. The hospital is very small and friendly, and the residents are really great to work with. I am already learning a lot, and really feeling like I am starting to help some people. Even though I have to live away from Halifax (and away from high speed internet) during this placement, I am still really enjoying things. I am back in Halifax right now for the weekend, so I will be able to update with pictures, but I will need a little more time to sort things out with my computer first.

I called the computer place again last Thursday and they finally located my computer and put a work order on it. Then they basically said, don't call us, we'll call you when it's done. Fine then.. I will just wait patiently, or not so patiently until they arrive. It's frustrating though because not only can I not blog or post pictures I also can't do my job. What's my job? Well I have been typing up meeting minutes for the DSU, it's slow and tedious (I actually have to transcript every word that is spoken) but it helps pay the bills.

I am pretty stressed about money right now. I contacted the hospital in town about doing casual work as an OT there, I really hope they get back to me. If I can work as an OT next year I will be able to take a nice chunk out of my loans, but it is really hard to find work in Halifax as a new grad. There are so many of us here looking for jobs. Wish me luck!

My lace shawls are coming along nicely. I have finished one shawl, but I was not able to block it very nicely. So I bit the bullet and bought some blocking wires. I know that you don't NEED them to block lace, but I was really anxious that I wouldn't get the lines even. So hopefully with these dummy wires I can do a good job. If I was using my own wool, and it wasn't CASHMERE I wouldn't stress about it, but it's not my wool, and it is cashmere, and the people who own the wool have worked so hard to get it and they are so nice I really don't want to disappoint them!

I called the computer repair shop yesterday, they have had my computer for a week now. And you know what I was told? They lost my computer! LOST IT!! How the heck do you lose a laptop? Grrr, looks like it could be a while before you guys start getting some better updates. Sorry.

In other more happy news, I joined Sockapalooza!! Yay! My first knitting exchange :)

Still no word on how the computer is doing. I called the repair company on Saturday and they said that it had arrived in their warehouse but no one had looked at it yet. I am going to call tomorrow and ask how it is doing. So in the meantime no pictures. You will have to take my word for it that I am almost done the Spinner's Shawl in the gray Cashmere, and it is really pretty and I am quite proud of myself over it.

I went to PEI for Easter Weekend to visit my Dad, brother, step mom, Nanny and Grand-dad. It was a great weekend, expect for the massive blizzard that hit the weekend yesterday. We were unable to travel back to the city yesterday as we had planned because we couldn't get out of the driveway. I have long accepted that storms are an integral aspect of living in the maritimes, but c'mon, it's April! It's spring! Ah well, the weather was fine today and most of the snow should be gone soon.

No computer means no pictures, for a now anyway. So you will have to take my word for it that the pattern for my Spinner's Shawl FINALLY came today! I have started on it and I am already well into my fourth repeat. For those of you who do not recall the Spinner's Shawl is the one that I am knitting out of Cashmere for the Cashmere people. I can't get over how beautiful and soft the yarn is! I mean it was soft when it was in it's skein, but that is nothing compared to how it feels knit up, it's truly decadent.

In other news, I am sick. With the flu. And it sucks!

Goodbye Lappy.

Well there was a terrible accident today. I spilled a glass of white wine on my computer and I think it's dead. Now my apartment smells like burnt electronics and rotting grapes. So my updating with pictures will be limited until I get it fixed. I have an accidental warranty on it, so I can get it fixed without any costs to me (whew).

I have finished the red lace scarf I was knitting, it is currently soaking in the sink, I will post a picture when it's done.

Also, I have succumb to lizard ridge fever and have started my squares! I went to Alexa MacDonough's re-nomination event today and finished a whole square while sitting there. It was a great meeting, Stephen Lewis spoke, the radical cheerleaders shouted, drums were played... all in all it was great. I signed up to help the NDP (New Democratic Party - Canada's most socially left party) during the next election. I will be glad to be doing my part to kick Stephen Harper out of office :)