Wonky weather

wow ... the weather sure has been wonky lately! Saturday was 28 degrees celcious, Sunday Sunny but COLD, yesterday miserable, damp and yucky, and today was gorgeous again! Gotta love Spring in Nova Scotia (and global warnming!) One would think that the strange weather would have me knitting more -- what with not knowing if it is ok to go outside -- but I have been picking slowly at it. I think I am done the ISE4 scarf, now to try to block it into shape! It is a funny shape -- I have to look up how to block Mohair and try to give it a shape that looks like a rectangle! It is quite zig zaggy now!


I have one sock done for my Sockapalooza 3 pal, and most of the leg done on the second sock, so that should be done in lots of time for the August deadline. My pal doesn't update her blog very often ... so I find it hard to figure out a lot about what she likes and what she's into, but that's OK -- I think I am on the right track.


Things are starting to get busy at work -- I plan and present programs for the community, and we are making the summer plans now, so I will be knitting at night to de-stress after a hectic day!

(I will posts pics later ... in a new post!)

Gifties for Heddy!

T got home yesterday ... and it is really nice to have him back (the house was sure quiet with just me and the 2 dogs, 2 cats and bazillion fish!) He had a really good trip, and has been going on about how clean and beautiful Greenville, SC is -- the pictures he took of the downtown area are beautiful (waterfalls and fountains everywhere, and lovely gardens -- looks like a wonderful place to live!)

What would a trip be without presents for those left home? Nothing, says she who received the bountiful gifts! Where do I start ... hmmm ... well, I got this (I used to wear perfume all the time, and stopped once everyone inthe world seemed to become scentsative to smells ... but I will sneak this in once in a while (it is really quite a soft scent - not nearly as strong as Poison).

He also picked out these ... the clutch is small and he suggested it would be good for storing my dpns in (isn't he clever?!), and the one with straps he thought could either be a purse or a project bag ... he barely had the words out of his mouth and I was stuffing it full of sock yarn! LOL! I am fairly single minded these days! besides, I would wear it out as a purse fairly quickly -- a project bag tends to get a bit more gentle wear.

The bags are really cute ...little cats as zippers and very funky colours. I am pretty pleased with what he picked for me ... the boy knows my style well! Laurel Burch has a lot of really cute things on her website! and it seems like she is sold in a lot of places (I googled her and got 28,800 results! I had never heard of her, but I guess she must be popular!)

We are going on holiday for my birthday next year -- it is a BIG one but I won't say which one it is -- and he has suggested that maybe we do a US "hot spots" tour ... pick out a few cool states to visit, spend a few days in each and get to see lots of neato stuff (ie; the Carol- inas, Arizona and maybe New York ... I don't know where would be a cool place to go down there, as I have only ever been to Florida -- my 12th Birthday) Any suggestions for places that would be fun to see in February (I am thinking New Orleans! but hubby isn't super fond of big crowds, and my b'day is Feb. 2nd -- Mardi Gras is Feb. 5th!)

Oh What a Beautiful Day!

Ahhh ... spring is on the way -- it is beautiful outside!

Well ... tonight is my last night as a single woman, on her own, doing wild and crazy things while her husband is in a far flung locale -- LOL! I don't know if I have moved from the computer since he left, except to go to work! heheh -- I am pretty dull; haven't even knit really since he left on his trip.

Tonight is the night -- "When Harry Met Sally", and major progress on my ISE4 scarf (it is due to be int he post on June 5th -- and I am not 1/2 done it! eeeekkkkk! I had such good intensions! My pal lives in Australia, so I really do have to get my butt in gear, and get shopping for goodies and knitting!)

Nothing was bought from the internet last night -- I showed remarkable restraint, despite incredible boredom (I did go out for coffee with a dear friend I haven't spent time with in ages, and we got caught up on about 9 months of each other's lives! I hate losing touch with my special girls!).

But tonight is all about the mystical power of the yarn, and seeing how quickly I can make this ball of mohair turn magically into a beautiful scarf so it can be blocked over the weekend. The scarf is already quite long, but the ball is not really shrinking in size. I put it down about a month ago, and haven't touched it (or even looked at it since -- it is worse than second sock syndrome! ) -- the unending ball freaked me out a little!

Anyhow -- when T returns, I will post a picture of the scarf (if it is done tonight!) Wish me luck!

** Edit ... there is a contest going on over at Sweet Sheep's Blog . The prize is ... yarn! Can't pass it up! Check it out!

This deserves it's own post!!!

I got a very exciting phone call from K. last night (remember K? she is the one who went to the Lucy Neatby workshop and cast on her "fist ever sock" on the drive home)

She called to tell me that she had finished the Pair on Sunday, and was part way through the first sock of her "second pair ever" -- I am soooo proud of her! (she did her first pair in Opal - I think- , and her second pair is in Austerman Step -- not sure of the colourways)

She also told me that she showed her MIL, who is a great knitter, and that she had never seen the new fangled self patterning sock yarn, and became instantly enamoured with it. She wanted all the details on where K. got it, -- but she is allergic to Wool (sneezes and wheezes!). On the second or third day of admiring K's yarn and nearly finished socks -- she decided she was going toknit some, went to the yarn store and picked out a cotton/wool/nylon blend -- AND now (well, last night after supper) she is nearly finished her first ever very swanky sock! (she has made socks, but not in the nice new fun yarns!) K. says none of this would have happened if I hadn't been showing my socks at work!

It is so fun to get people interested in knitting -- I love it! I am like a knitting "pusher" at work ("Come on, touch it, you know ya wanna" "I can teach you how" "socks aren't hard ... can you knit? Can ya purl? You can knit a sock!") Its the best feeling in the world to see someone with their first sock (or their first knitted anything!)

Picture this

Because T is in South Carolina with our camera, you will have to have a very vivid imagination to read this blog today, as the things I am going to talk about are not visible on the blog.
Edit: He is staying here which looks pretty nice ... wish I was there too!

I did my first ever order from Etsy last night (that's what happens when I am home alone and bored -- I shop!) I have a bunch of cute little stitch markers coming my way in a few days time!
Ya never know what I might buy tonight ... and he's gone until Thursday! Muwahahaha!

I haven't done much on my SP4 pals soecond sock - gott he cuff nearly done .... I think I broke my baby toe yesterday and have been whining about that since yesterday afternoon. I hit it with the door as i was letting the dog out (and struck the tip of my toe with the edge of the door, ripping the nail off) __ Aren't ya glad there are no pictures? It's gross AND sore!

gotta go and eat my supper!

Victoria day is a happy day!

In Canada, today is a holiday (which is a happy time for me! a day off work, and drizzley miserable weather = a great day of knitting!). I have to bind of the toe of my Sockapalooza 4 Pal's BFF sock, and cast on the second sock (it didn't take very long to do the first one -- Started Thursday afternoon, and finished Sunday at suppertime).

My huband is on his way to the airport for a work related trip to South Carolina ... I have spent the past few days getting organized for his trip. So now he is gone, and I am lonely. I could do some housework, but will probably pop in a dvd (either Lucy Neatby's Sock Techniques 2 or When Harry Met Sally - or Grease). I love "When Harry Met Sally", and watch it often. If you like it too, try the Trivia Quiz I saw Harry Connick Jr. on "Ellen" the other day, and since then, I can't get his music out of my head, and now need a "Harry/Sally"fix! Usually the same thing happens if I see John Travolta promoting a movie -- I have a compelling urge to see Grease! They are both such "feel good" movies!

Not much this post for knitting content -- T has the camera, so there will not likely be many knitting pics over the next few days. Related to knitting : I showed my MIL and SIL the first BFF sock for my SP4 Pal, and my MIL said I shouldn't send it to someone I don't know - that she would give the socks a good home! So I think she will like the socks I made her, and it reassured me that the socks look nice!

Plugging Away at the Plunge

Yes, today, the first day of the long weekend (it is Victoria Day in Canada on Monday, and therefore a three day relaxing weekend for Heddy!) I have devoted myself to making up for lost time with the 52 Pair Plunge, and also to getting a move on with my Sockapalooza 4 Pal's socks (my pal is a US Gal who likes dark colours -- coincidentally she wears the same size shoe as me! but has a nice narrow foot, unlike my wide clodhoppers!).

I began her sock Thursday afternoon, when I was home from work sick, and the pattern I am working on is BFF by Cookie. The yarn is a new one they had at Have a Yarn -- Garnstudio's Fabel, in colour 677. It is really nice and soft, and the colours are working up very well, although the yarn might be a bit busy for the cable pattern ... I think I like it though (there have been a few thoughts of "well, I could keep it for me, and knit her something else", and "there is no way she'd ever know that I started these for her and ended up giving her something else" -- that sort of "inside my head talk" is usually a good sign that I like what I am doing, and will actually finish the project!).

I am not usually a big fan of dark colours (I tend to go for rich jewel tones or sunny tropical colours, especially for socks) but the colours in this mix are really getting me interested in the socks ... I have done 4 cable repeats and made a 2 inch cuff, and the colour pattern has yet to repeat. I like a nice long colour pattern! And the occasional burst of limey green and turquoise make it a bit more vibrant than I thought it would be!

I don't have a picture of the socks yet (be patient, Lexa!) and I have put aside the "very- frustrating-but-not-because-of-the-pattern" Hederas I started ages ago. They have upset me beyond belief, and I am not speaking to them at the moment (I keep hoping that what happened between us will go away, but we haven't spoken in weeks, and I don't know if they are going to apologise -- the end of a beautiful friendship) ... pictures will follow perhaps tomorrow, if they behave themselves and we get a sunny day (you need to see the disappointment they caused me in the true light of day!)

Since you made it to the end, and it is a miserable day outside ... you are rewarded with a snippet from my front garden ... beeeee busy this weekend!

Number 4 - 52 PP

(no flash)

In a rush of knitter empowerment from the Neatby course, I started a pair of Broadripple socks on Saturday evening (or early Sunday morning, depending on how you look at it!) -- I got the 12 row cuff done, and then off to bed -- the socks were done yesterday at 3:45 p.m. (I am very pleased, and am starting to catch up for the 52 pair plunge -- I think I am now only about 3 pairs behind! LOL!

(with a flash -- I think the flash picture is a bit more accurate re: colours)

They turned out pretty -- Regia Cotton, in the Broadripple pattern ... modified by knitting on 3 mmm needles, instead of the 3.25 mmm the pattern called for. They are sooo soft -- I like them a lot , and hope I can keep them a secret until Christmas!

I will try to post more regularly -- the camera wasn't hooked up for the past 2 weeks, and was making me crazy because I couldn't post without pictures!

Funky Contest!

I just entered a cool contest and all you have to do is list your Knitting goals for the summer! sounds pretty easy and you could win a tank top knitting pattern and some cotton yarn!



My knitting goals for the Summer are:

1. Get a large number (ie; at least 12 ) of pairs of socks knit for the 52 Pair Plunge ... I am so far behind, and knitting centres me and Zens me out! (in the Summer I have lots of work stress, and need all the Zen moments I can get!)

2. To actually finish my nephew's tractor sweater before his third birthday on August 20th (it has been a WIP for a looonnngg time)

3. To knit outdoors as much as possible -- nothing any finer than knitting on a boat, or in the woods, or on the beach, or in a park! Love it!

4. To finish my Fetching fingerless gloves (I keep putting them down in favor of something that MUST be done -- I love them, and want a pair sooo badly, and have started a pair in a lovely paprika coloured merino wool, just wanna get them done!)

5. To get a sweater knit for each of the 2 babies - our 6 month old nephew and our soon to be born dunno if its a boy or girl niece or nephew -- so they will each have cute cuddly Christmas gifts!

6. To stick to my goals and actually get these things done! I like to dream big ... I need to be realistic too (but I like the big dreams!)

Ohhh La-La -- Neatby!

I think it goes without saying, but I should probably say it -- I Love Lucy!

The "Phoenix from the Ashes" class that Lucy Neatby taught in Mahone Bay on the weekend was the best knitting information I have ever had! She is a fantastic teacher (uses her dvds in addition to personally interacting with the class and explaining what is happening in the video) -- her class is totally geared for any kind of learner (visual aids, hands on and even the written word!). Lexa gives a pretty thorough, step by step breakdown of what happened that day ... so I will just rave about the high points!

(this is J. and Lexa , making Happy Stitches!)


1. I have been doing the mattress stitch toally wrong for 5 years! I now want to mattress everything I see -- what a nice neat little cord it makes, the way she taught us. Love it!


2. When I am not mattress stitching ... I will be grafting everything I can .... another neat, easy invisible thing that I never understood until I had 3-hours of Lucy goodness.


3. I used to panic if I dropped a stitch or saw a mistake 10 rows back (or 2 rows from the start ... now I am eagerly looking to see if there is something I can "fix" (that might be an exageration -- but I am not scared to do the fix anymore! AND fixing doesn't have to mean ripping out miles of knitting to get to the root of the problem!)


4. I am soooo inspired and reved up about knitting now -- Lucy brought samples of what she has knit/designed. OMG -- it was a very humbling experience! The woman knits works of art! WOW! It was so cool to hear her talk about when she was making this one sweater, and thought it would be beautiful, until she put the pieces together and the patterns were horrid -- and the fix she did to it to make it such a stunner!

The woman is Brilliant! -- in every sense of the word: she is a totally intuative knitter, her love of colour and design is soo apparent, and she has such a genuine personality. I want to be Lucy Neatby when I grow up (oh, wait ... I am grown up!).

I wish we would have been signed up for both sessions -- I didn't think the second class sounded very exciting (sorry -- I did not know what I would be missing!)-- until I saw the samples she brought (then I was in deeep regret!) Ah, well -- I will know for the next time.

After the class, we went for lunch (fabulous! I had a chicken caesar salad - no cheesecake, though, as I am dieting) then yarn shopping (Check out the stuff I got -- couldn't leave without a Lucy Neatby dvd -- Socks 2), shoe shopping, and onto the Teazer to check out the giftware. (Curly tried to set up the shot for me -- I propped up the dvd, and went to get the yarn and other things, and when I came back --he was sitting on the goose, mucking about! Cute -- very much a playful kitten!)

This is a is the shot from the parking lot by the Teazer - Nice view, eh?

We even got a sock-convert from the class -- K. cast on her first sock in the car on the drive home, Edit -- and today -- Friday, May 18th, announced she was finished her first sock and had 3 rows on the cuff of the second sock at midnight last night!! Hurray!

Then back home, where, feeling the power of the needles, and wanting to make my stiches happy, I finished by nephews socks (pair #3 for the 52 Pair Plunge) ... Opal child's Sock pattern, knit in a mystery yarn - lost the ball band long ago - on 2.25 Pony Pearl needles. His mom loved them , and he got as excited as a 2.5 year old boy can get about socks (I might have gotten a better reaction from him if I had stuffed a Dinky car in each toe!). I gave him a t-shirt with a tractor on the front too, and boy! he was excited about that (thanks for the tip Sheri!) -- he is at the age where tractors are amazing!

Saturday evening around Midnight (when we got home from supper at my BIL's house) I cast on a pair of Broadripple socks for my MIL. Will show pictures tomorrow of them. I like Broadripple, it knits up fast, and gives a nice effect! These will be set aside for Christmas, I think.

Class is today

Swatch knit? Check!
Knitting Bag packed? Check!
Excitement Level set to full throttle? Double Check!

Today is "Lucy Neatby Day"!! I am going to a Lucy Neatby Workshop in Mahone Bay this morning -- it is Phoenix from the Ashes, and Lexa is going with me, as well as 2 friends from where I work. (I have to be honest -- I could barely sleep, I was so excited!! -- my non-knitting friends really don't get this)

I haven't a clue what to expect, I am just really excited to get to go, and have some knitting fun, and a chance to shop with yarny friends. I'll post this afternoon or evening a bit about the day ... and maybe show off some new yarn or needles (I am sure I will be inspired to add to the yarn collection both by Neatby, and by the knitting friends who are going-- or simply because I am a little obsessed! lol).

I gotta go figure out what to wear and pick up the girls!