Redwood Park

I spent my lunch hour today walking in Redwood Park, a really cool man-made forest near my work. The forest was planted by twin brothers who settled in the Hazelmere Valley in 1878. At least, that’s what it says on the sign!

This is a recreation or memorial to the house that they built and lived in back then. Unfortunately it was locked up, so I couldn’t see inside at all. But given that it’s just a replica, it’s probably empty anyway.

The reason I went there was to take a picture of this little elf door I spotted in one of the trees last time I was there. I visited a few weeks ago, and the elves still had their Christmas decorations up. Looks like they’ve let the yard go a little bit…

I got a little closer and noticed something alarming. Looks like B&E’s happen even in the middle of the forest! Hopefully everyone’s okay…

After relaxing in the woods for a while, I hit the Tim Horton’s drive-thru on my way back to work. When I got to the window to pay for my soup and coffee, the server told me that the guy ahead of me randomly paid for my order! What a nice thing to do. I paid for the guy behind me – hopefully it made him smile too

Mom’s Christmas Village

I’m visiting my mom for Christmas and it’s so great to relax and enjoy time with my family. I love being surrounded by familiar decorations and festivities. The Christmas tree with its lights and the ornaments that bring back childhood memories, and (my favorite) the elaborate Christmas village that my step-dad sets up every year. I just wanted to share a couple shots I took of the village at night. Merry Christmas!

Holiday Express

West Village

East Village

Village Band

Hawkins Emporium (my mom’s last name)

Mother and Child

Train Station

HDR Snowscape by ehatch10

I’m getting ready to go visit my mom for the holidays, and I’m really looking forward to relaxing and unplugging for a week. She lives in a small town at the north end of Vancouver Island, and it is so beautiful and so quiet up there. I can’t wait to see the tree all decked out, and enjoy some quality family time with her and my brother. Unfortunately the significant other can’t come due to work, but I think a little time apart will be nice as well, since I know I’ll be missing him by the time the week is up.

I’m tying up all the loose ends in my Etsy shop, to make sure everything’s covered before I go away. I’ve had quite a few orders this year, which is fantastic. I’m just finishing up the last orders and I’ve deactivated any made-to-order listings for the time being as I won’t have time to finish them before I go. As a result the shop is looking a little sparse. On the plus side I will have lots of knitting time while I’m up there so I’ll have lots of good stuff to restock the shop when I get back. I’m also hoping to do some spinning, which will be wonderful. I haven’t spun any new yarn in a few months since knitting has been keeping me pretty busy. I’ve got some great hand-dyed fiber in my stash from various Etsy sellers. It’ll be great to get back into spinning with rovings like this one from Squoosh!

And, after all the work I put into my new blog, I’m looking forward to getting on a regular posting schedule again as well. I’m still planning to strike a balance between personal content and Etsy-related posts, and I’ll be bringing back all my regular features, such as Etsy Monday, Tuesday Top 12 and Wool Room Music, with the addition of a couple more surprises!

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and I’ll be back in full swing by the New Year!

Happy 2009!

I’m not big on New Years resolutions, but I do feel like now is a good time to set some goals to work toward in 2009. Something about the air of completion and creation that comes with this time of year compels me to take stock of what I’ve been doing for the past little while and lay out some things I’d like to accomplish in the coming months. Of course a lot of these will be related to fiber and my Etsy shop, but there are a few other improvements I’d like to make as well. As for my blog, I’d like to expand the scope of it to include a some of what goes on in my life outside of Etsy, to share a bit more of what fills my days with all you lovely people. So, here are my main goals, in no particular order:

Continue reading…

Catching up…

Well, the holidays have made it difficult to keep up with my blog and my Etsy shop is looking a little sparse, but I’ve really enjoyed the rest and the time spent with family and friends. I’ve also been busy trying to navigate this crazy weather we’ve been having. Vancouver is not used to snow like this and the lack of snow plows in my neighborhood have made things very interesting. This is my back yard as seen on Christmas Day.

I’ve actually gotten quite a bit of knitting done for the shop – now I just need some time with my “models”. I finished a new style of fingerless glove that I’m very pleased with, and I’ve made pairs in about 3 or 4 colors. I really hope to get a chance to photograph them soon, especially since I got a new camera for Christmas! It’s a Fuji Finepix and I’ve been having lots of fun playing with it and getting comfortable. The biggest perk for me so far is the super macro feature, which I’ve been using to take shots like this.

There seems to be a bit of a grainy quality to some of the pictures I’ve taken, which I also read about in reviews (after I’d bought it). However, since most of the shots I’ve taken so far have been indoors and in low light, I’m remaining optimistic. I’m very eager to try it out in good light. Although I have less occasion to use it, the long distance focus also seems to be very good. 12x optical zoom is very decent for anything I’d need. This shot was taken from my doorstep, across the yard and into the back lane.