Crap.

I'm at the local library, with 16 minutes of Internet time remaining, so I'll be brief. Change of travel plans: my passport expired in February, but I only noticed this fact the other day, so I can't go to San Francisco after all. I'm not allowed to fly into the States, and that's that. Not so brainy, I know. I'm totally disappointed.

Other than that, all is well. I've been thrifting and yarn shopping and taking some pictures, and I finished my Monkey socks, so I'll be back soon with all kinds of visual goodies. Ciao for now!

Time to pack

As I get ready for my West Coast holiday, I'm checking airline info to find out whether or not I'm allowed to bring certain things in my carry-on luggage. This is obviously an important step when travelling, as it clears up a lot of ambiguity.

For instance, I have learned that I am not permitted to board the plane with tear gas, brass knuckles, throwing stars, a crossbow, bows and arrows, dynamite, a billiards cue, molotov cocktails, a hatchet, a meat cleaver, insecticides, a fire extinguisher, a paintball gun, bombs, knives, ice picks, sabers, swords, spear guns, cattle prods, hand grenades, spray paint, gel shoe inserts, or a snow globe.

Lest you think that I won't be able to have any fun at all during my flight, I can assure you that there is some good news. It turns out that I can fill my carry-on with pudding, cheese in pressurized containers, screwdrivers, unrealistic replicas of weapons, gel-filled bras, whips, laser pointers, underwater torches, hypodermic needles, dry ice, and ... oh, yes ... knitting needles.

See you soon!

Introducing Kate

Kate is wearing a springtime outfit inspired by classic boys' wear. Her striped sweater is made of 100% wool leftovers, making it an environmentally friendly garment: Patons Classic Merino in a medium peacock blue, Moda Dea Washable Wool in a sassy kiwifruit green, and Cascade Quattro in a cheery blend of orange and pink, set off with a neckline and sleeve cuffs in red organic O-Wool.


Kate's stylish and versatile navy slacks are knit from Cascade 220, and she wears sensible brown shoes in Moda Dea Washable Wool.

"I can go outside," says Kate, "because I'm wearing shoes."


Kate herself is a natural -- "natural mix" in Patons Classic Merino, that is. Her brown eyes, red nose, and slightly asymmetrical mouth (oops) are all stitched in wool.

7 facts

Dr. Steph tagged me for this meme. Then I was tagged by letah75, but her version involves eight things -- I can hardly think of seven, so I'm going with Steph's rules. Fortunately, these things just need to be true, not profound or fascinating.

Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs 7 facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and need to read your blog. The facts:

1. I'm currently knitting Kate. I don't really know why -- it's more of a "why not?" project. It's fun. Basically, you knit a gourd and some glove fingers. The smallest bag of fiberfill I could find was giant (one pound, which is a lot considering polyester fluff doesn't really weigh anything), so there may be more stuffed toys in my crafting future. I've got my eye on the Pointy Kitty over at Wee Wonderfuls.

2. So far so good with my corduroy dress. I love piping! I want to put piping on everything! Last night I had successfully attached the first sleeve (a sweet little cap sleeve -- with piping!) when the power went out. For two hours. So that was the end of last night's sewing. I was hoping to get the sewing finished last night, or at least everything but the zipper; maybe I can do it tonight. I want to finish this dress, and then I want to make another one in plaid, and another one in polka dots, and another one in a solid colour, and...

3. I'm giving a paper at a conference this Saturday. I'm very excited, since the conference is all about crime and media, which is right up my alley. I'll be talking about press coverage around the production and release of Karla in Canada.

4. On Monday, I'm getting on a plane and flying across the country! For the next two-and-a-half weeks, I'll be on (or near) the west coast. First, just over a week in the Okanagan with my parents; then a few days visiting friends in Vancouver; and then a few days seeing some friends and family in San Francisco. I can't wait. I haven't been out to B.C. since Christmas 2005, and my last trip to San Francisco was in ... 1999?

5. I'm at the heel flap of my second Monkey sock. (I'm getting desperate here. Seven facts about me? Clearly that's three too many -- some may even say it's seven too many.)

6. Thanks to a recent link from Jo S., I now must have this T-shirt. While we're at it, let's have a look at some recent wanty bookmarks: Fluevog boots, which I can pick up while in Vancouver if I find myself with an extra $300; a few skeins of merino from Oceanwind Knits -- maybe in sweetgrass and poppy; Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje; fabric, fabric, and more fabric; and my copy of the current issue of Interweave Knits (hello, post office?).

7. I have to get back to work now! I'm not going to tag anyone in particular for this; it's a meme, not a chain letter. Feel free to share facts about yourself if you're so inclined.

Huh?

Remember my big crocheted blanket? I'd almost finished it, but then it got too warm to have a giant pile of wool on my lap. Well, I'm thinking it will be a good choice for tonight's TV-watching crafty time!

I joined Flickr recently because of Ravelry, and I've put up some more photos from the weekend. To see a little more of Old Quebec, click here.

Quebec City

I'm back! Quebec City was fantastic -- if you've never been, you should plan a trip. We had a great time, and I'm glad it's only three hours away, because I want to go back. Aside from the fact that we were only there for 24 hours, it's still the low season, so certain things are not open on Mondays (e.g., afternoon tea at Le Champlain, the Musée de la Civilisation). But there are plenty of buildings, statues, monuments, cannons, cobblestone streets, and views of the river, and then there's the Château Frontenac. It's actually more impressive than it looks in photographs, I think, and you can see it from almost everywhere. It's gigantic! The photo above was taken from about halfway down Côte de la Montagne; below is a view from the lower town -- I think I was on Rue du Cul-de-Sac.

We arrived early Sunday afternoon, checked into our auberge on Rue Ste-Anne, and then attempted to follow a walking tour I'd found online, but the directions were totally confusing, so we just wandered up and down the narrow streets. Unfortunately, many of the plaques explaining the history of a given seminary/monastery/residence/etc. are in French only, so we missed out on lots of the details of what we were looking at. We went into the Basilique-cathédrale Notre-Dame de Québec, which was as spectacular inside as many of the Buddhist temples we visited in Thailand (with tons of gold leaf, etc.). We rode the funiculaire down to the lower town, to see the Quartier Petit-Champlain, the Batterie Royale, and Place-Royale.

Place-Royale is where it all began, they say: the site was always a site of trade among First Nations, and after the arrival of Champlain in the 17th century, this square (then known as Market Square) was the centre of trade in New France. It is also the site of possibly the oldest existing church in North America, called Notre-Dame des Victoires. (I was going to show you a better shot of the church -- like, one where the steeple isn't cut off -- but the photo above shows the square a little better, including the bust of Louis XIV.) We went into the church, where an enthusiastic tour guide covered 1,500 years worth of history in less than 10 minutes. The altar was lovely.

On Monday, we continued wandering. Once we found that the Musée de la Civilisation was closed, we decided to head out of the walled city and visit the Citadel and the Plains of Abraham. Is it ironic that we couldn't for the life of us figure out how to actually get into the Citadel? We approached it from a few different angles, and we honestly couldn't figure it out. (I'd like to point out that we weren't the only ones. Lots of people were wandering around with maps, scratching their heads.) By then we were hungry, so we decided we'd do the Citadel next time, and we headed to Chez Victor for lunch. Oh my. Not only were there four different kinds of veggie burger to choose from (as well as meat, of course), but this was one of the best burger-and-fries meals I've ever had. (How I love fries with mayo!)

We headed home after lunch, taking the 40 along the north side of the river -- we took the 20 on the way up, but the 40 was a little more scenic. We'll probably go back sometime this summer. You know, for the burgers. Now I'm going to put I Confess on my DVD-rental list, so I can see how Hitchcock saw the city in 1953.