Maybe November isn't so bad

November's got a pretty bad rap for being grey and dreary, but this was the sunset on Remembrance Day here in the Kingdom as seen from our very own back door. Pretty spectacular, don't you think?

Holy headgear, Batman!!

I got up this morning all excited about starting a new project. Actually, I have 3 new projects floating around in my head. Fun stuff. Stay tuned. However, while I was going through my email, coffee in hand, as per my usual morning routine, I got an email that changed everything.

It seems a certain little lady is a big Batman fan. Not only that, but she's been watching the very same vintage Batman shows that I saw when I was a child - the 1960's TV version with Adam West. I started to wonder how difficult it would be to add Batman to an earflap hat.

Turns out, it might be pretty simple.

A November surprise

We have a secluded rural backyard. Surrounded by trees, in full summer, it's very private. We love it. That means we also see a lot of birds. This summer, we had hummingbirds. Lots of them. They came to our feeder, and amused us with their wildly aggressive behaviour. Don't they know they're tiny?

Yesterday, when I was out on the deck, I saw an unusual round object hanging from a naked tree branch. Could it be a hummingbird nest? or maybe not a bird's nest at all....maybe it's a wasp's nest? Yikes.

Nope. Not wasps. Definitely a bird. This little nest is a thing of beauty. It hangs by delicate loops of grass from the tree branch about 5 feet off the ground. It's at the end of a flimsy branch that no predator could ever access. So clever. The nest itself is about 4 or 5 inches across and about the same deep, so the bird must be small.

I never saw the bird who built it....or maybe I did. I just never saw her in the nest or flying to or from. When I researched the nest itself, I learned it's the nest of a Red-eyed Vireo. Now, that's not a bird name I recognize, but I have seen this little guy, from time to time on the deck.

Hello! He's a Red-eyed Vireo!

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-eyed_Vireo/id

So delicate. So beautiful. I'll bet s/he didn't have to read a book or take a class to learn to build this nest. Why do we humans think we know so much?

After all, while we mess around with snow tires and frozen pipes, the Red-eyed Vireo will be lounging around the Amazon basin.

It's beginning to look a lot like.... you know

Time to think about gift socks. These have been under way for a long time now. My notes say I started them on August 6th. Yikes! I generally have socks on the go, although they don't generally take this long. They make good TV knitting.

I can't quite express how luscious is this yarn. Misti Alpaca, Tonos Carnival. It's 50% Alpaca, 30% Merino, 10% Silk and 10% Nylon. It is exquisite. The colour is TF25 Truffle. All warm browns. I have one more skein in navy, so I will have the pleasure of knitting another pair of socks in Tonos Carnival in the future. As well, I seem to have a fairly large ball of leftover yarn from this pair, since there were 400 meters in the skein. This yarn was made in Peru. I don't think I've found a Peruvian yarn yet that wasn't luscious.

Grandma Coco gives Misti Alpaca, Tonos Carnival an unreserved thumbs up!

ComedyCoup 2014

Our son and his wife are taking part in the CBC's ComedyCoup competition. Young performers and film makers across Canada are vying for a chance to pitch their comedy show and win a chance to have it developed by the CBC. Blair and Christina have already made it through a couple of rounds. Each week there's a new challenge, and here is what they've put together for this week.....Week #5 - Hype it!

Of course, I'm biased, but I think this is very funny. If you do, too, you can help them on their way by voting for them.

The power of colour

It's November now. November is grey. And gloomy. Colour is the antidote.

Don't you feel better already?

Sweet nothings

Sometimes it's fun to just dash off a project. Something sweet. Not too time-consuming. Something bright and shiny. With BEADS!!

Photographed on a stump! How attractive. How arty. :)

Here's a pair of fingerless texting mittens. Perfect to keep in your pocket for cool days.


100% Alpaca. They're only $20 in the fundraising shop for the Lyndhurst Feral Cat Project. If you're not local, I'm sure you can work something out to have them slipped in an envelope and mailed to you.