My Life's Work...

Because I'm not about to write a novel any time soon!!

So there she is... My 200 page immigration application.

We started gathering stuff (like long form birth certificates) last year and in the last 3 months have been working on part of it every day. There was a lot of waiting for things to come in (we could've had this sent off 2 weeks ago if we didn't add more pictures at the last minute) and a lot of re-reading of forms and discovering we needed something else - I think there were a few days in a row when had one more letter from XYZ that needed to be written or one more photocopy of ABC document needed to be made - it seemed we were never going to have everything.

As of 3:00pm my application was tucked away into an express post envelope and handed over to the post office to be whisked away to Ottawa to be processed. The lady on the phone this afternoon said there's about a 3 month processing time so we'll hopefully have some sort of word by the time Glen has to fly home.

We're excited and relieved to have completed everything but now the waiting begins. We're also really happy to not have to answer any more "Is your application done yet? Have you sent it in yet?" questions.

Should I start posting weather comparisons at the bottoms of my posts now?


Temperature: -32C
Sunrise: 9:04am
Sunset: 9:01pm

Needle Felting

I've been doing some needle felting lately. If I want to apply for the arts festival I need a few more things in my portfolio.

I did this the other night - it's a needle felting of one of my pictures. I think it turned out really good and I was pretty impressed with myself.
I have a pair of felted slippers that I'm about to sit down and embroider. I'm trying to get a bunch more of those done too.

We're getting pretty close to sending all my paperwork in. It seems every day we re-read what we need to send in and find something else we need to write or some other form we have to fill out. Today we realised that we need certified copies of birth certificates/passports from the people that wrote statutory declarations for us --- ugh! I went and did my criminal records check stuff last week and found out that I didn't actually need my finger prints taken. Oh well. I have them now in case I need them I guess. I'm hoping we can send everything off in about two weeks. We're also waiting on some pictures we ordered to come in (but if we're ready to send everything and those aren't here yet then we'll just send our forms off. We have some pictures and these were just going to be extra).

Other than that! I'm just trying to survive work until my boss makes it back on Friday. I'll be very happy when he's back and I'm not the boss any more!!


Temperature: -22C (feels like -32C)
Sunrise: 9:33am
Sunset: 6:42pm

Warning! Knitting Content!

Knitting finally!
I got my first self striping sock yarn the other day (OnLine - Tropic) and decided to try out my first short row heel (tried a toe up-short row once but it didn't work out). I messed up the first time but the second time it turned out - woo! I was planning on making these for my mum who has slightly smaller feet than me so they don't quite fit me... I have to say though, I don't like the fit of short row heels as much as I like the heel flap method.... I'm going to try another pair with a heel flap and cross my fingers that it doesn't mess up the self striping. I'm a bit disappointed because I've been scouring the 'net for months now trying to find a short row heel (ended up using the Priscilla's Dream Socks pattern for the heel and just a regular toe). I love the way it looks but yeah, it seems that when I put the sock on (even before I started the toe) I really had to pull the sock to get my heel where the heel of the sock is. That doesn't happen with the heel flap. And because I've knit enough flap heels they seem waaaaaay quicker than the short row (and take a lot less concentration).


My second project that I've been meaning to blog about is my entrelac project. I'm using the instructions for the Lady Eleanore Stole with a couple extra repeats thrown in. I'm using Knit Picks Shine Sport and alternating the colours every row - huge PITA btw... I have another yarn I'm looking at using for another entrelac project once this is out of the way. I'm making this in hopes of it becoming a baby blanket (I'll line it and probably do an applied i-cord edging or a crochet one). I definitely am fond of entrelac but it's not as good work knitting as say a sock or mitten.


Temperature: -32C (windchill: -42C --- It only takes 11km/h winds to drop the temp! They're having a blizzard where my mum lives and the windchill is in the -50s!!!)
Sunrise: 11:33am
Sunset: 4:40pm

No Sun Yet...

So go figure when the sun finally starts getting above the horizon it gets overcast again. Hopefully we'll be able to see it tomorrow (forecast is for cloudy periods - just watch the clouds all be around the horizon).

In other news, I took down my Christmas tree today (finally! I'd planned to do it on Saturday). Our hallway looks so much bigger now! I was a bit sad to pack up my knitted Santa :( I have some irrational fear that I'm going to open my Christmas bin next year and he'll be ruined (he's in a ziploc bag and in a plastic bin I'm sure that won't happen).

We got a belated Christmas parcel from family friends yesterday (in time for Ukrainian Christmas at least!). I got a knitting book (Knitting New Scarves) and two skeins of Berroco Peruvia in a really nice rust/brown colour. K, our one friend is really into "trick wrapping" presents. Usually one person a year gets the "honour" of having one of their presents trick wrapped and this year it was my turn (I've only been the lucky recipient of trick wrapping once before - my birthday when I was 11 or 12). I unwrapped one of my presents to find a Glenfiddich case and at first I was sort of like "wtf... I don't drink scotch..." and then it hit me - Oh no, it's not a nice bottle of Glenfiddich (Glen was excited that it could've been scotch) no, I had a present STUCK in the case (insert much swearing - in a good way). It took me 2 hours to get into the damn thing and retrieve my present (the yarn). The rules are that you can't use anything sharp (fingernails are allowed but teeth aren't and of course knives, scissors and the like aren't either). I think the first time I got the trick wrap I ended up cheating after hours of struggling to find a way into my present (it was wrapped in layers and layers of black electrical tape with the end cleverly hidden - plus it was breakable so I think they finally let me use scissors in fear I'd break the present before getting into it)... So, the instructions on this present said to call after 6pm for instructions so I sat and tried to pry it open with my fingernails (running them under the lip of the cap hoping to loosen the glue) until 6 when I started calling their house. They were on the phone for a while so while I was waiting I ran the edge of the lid across the edge of my desk and voilà! It popped right open! I think K was a bit upset that I got into it so easy once I finally got a hold of them.
Now he'd better watch out because I'm on the hunt for a present for him so I can take the rest of the year to wrap it - think lots of tape and glue :) (I got him back once and it took him a day and a half to get it unwrapped :) I am a trick wrapping force to be reckoned with!). I've got to be careful though because he has access to a welder and just might weld my present shut next year...

Temperature: -32 (that's without the windchill - yikes!)
Sunrise: 1:19pm
Sunset: 2:42pm