Ewe Gotta Knit

Baby Surprize

2012-01-22T13:04:00.010-04:00

Finally ... a model for my Baby Surprise Jacket!

And another surprise ... for some of my readers (but not all of you!) If you live in my community, chances are you have heard the good news ... the baby so skillfully modelling the BSJ will also be modelling other baby wear/handknits I will be knitting. I'd like to introduce you to Mr. Monkeypants**, our son. We found out on Dec. 16 that we had finally been approved to adopt him, and we left on Dec. 26 to go meet our son. When we left, the social workers had told me that the transition with Mr. Monkeypants could take as long as a month, and we would all take our signals as to how soon he was ready to live with us full time from him, and that we couldn't rush him (or hold him back when he was ready). He bonded pretty much instantly with my husband T who is truly a baby magnet - children tend to like him a lot!) and soon after, he and I were close too.

To make a long story short, we came home on January 9th, and Mr. Monkeypants is exceeding all expectations. He's adjusting well, is in a routine, and acts like he has always lived here! T and I thrilled with the changes in our lives ... and I am enjoying my parental leave (I go back to work in September - and are so glad I am able to spend this time with our son :)

Knitting time has been limited, but I do have my first Fo of 2012 to show in my next post -- I just need to find the time to take a few pictures of it!

Happy New Year, and I hope you had a very Merry Christmas! I got the best gift EVER!

** For now, I am calling him Mr. Monkeypants on the internets - I am a bit nervous about children, photographs and predators, and haven't quite made up my mind if I am comfortable having pictures of him, accompanied by his name "out there". A lot of friends have been asking for pictures, so I wanted to show them our boy, but for now, we'll use a pseudonym!

Needing a little break

2011-12-20T12:44:00.002-04:00

For anyone who is currently following my blog - I just wanted to let you know that I am going to be taking a bit of a blog break .. probably for a month. I have some personal things going on, and will post once I have a bit of time back in my day.

Until then - Merry Christmas, happy new Year! and all the best to all of you in 2012!

When I am back, I have a few knitting projects to add.

Busy like a beaver ...

2011-11-26T12:57:00.007-04:00

When the blog goes quiet, it usually means either no knitting or it means lots of knitting. This past week, it has been the latter!

I have been trying to get enough knit for the craft sale ... tomorrow (at 10 at the local fire hall), and was a bit of a dumb-ass and left it late to get started. But -- I have managed to get a few things done
This hat is the Regular Guy Beanie and the yarns used were (from left to right) Kertzer Accent Worsted in Evergreen, Bernat Mosiac in Optimistic, Bernat Mosiac in Strange Magic and Bernat Mosiac in Ninja. They are very plain toques, but I think the colours "jazz" them up a bit (except the plain green - but I threw that one in because not everyone LOVES colour like I do! Isn't that open minded of me? LOL!). I have another one cast on in Bernat Jacquards in Julep colourway (not sure if that will be done in time -- I am procrastinating now by writing this blog post - I should either be knitting, or making Jalapeno Jelly!). Ah well, if it all gets done, it will be good, but I am not going to stress over it this year. I have enough to make the table look good, and I don't want to have strained wrists because of the sale (as I have had the past 3 or 4 years) from stressing and becoming a knitting machine. I still have some gift knitting to do for family and friends and 5 commissioned knits to get done before Christmas - I need to keep my wrists healthy and happy! My sister fractured her wrist last weekend (wrestling with the boys), so won't be at the craft sale this week. She has a few things to go to the sale, but not nearly as much as she usually has ... she also is a last minute crafter ;) I come by the trait genetically!

I finally got the pom pom on this hat
(the pattern is called Cozy and I made a few modifications to it to make it the way the woman who commissioned it wanted.) One thing she said was she wanted a really big honking pompom -- it is for her little girl, and I think the pompom ups the adorable factor x10!

I think I have to go - I am starting to wonder if I will get the jelly done in time ... and I have had people asking about it, and promised I would -- so I should at least make sure that is done. AND I just remembered promising that I would have my cranberry orange chutney at the sale too (when am I going to learn to just say no? or to not be so lazy, or to actually do things ahead of time?) Ah well! It will be an adventure to see if I can get it all done ;) I am off to "jam"!

** Update: I made a double batch of Cranberry Orange Chutney, and a double batch of Jalapeno Jelly ... 10 jars of each (the Jalapeno is the 1/2 cup jars - a little goes a long way!). My back is killing me from all the choping for the Chutney - it is delicious, and T loves it, but is it ever a bunch of work to make! Glad it is done :) Also - the beanie is nearly done ... I am halfway through the decreases, and it should only be another 20 minutes and I will be done the hat. I will take yarn for another one to knit while I am at the sale. If they don't sell, they will be nice Christmas gifts for a few people on my list! (2011 - the year of the handknit Heddy hat! heh heh!)

If you are not interested in owls, there is nothing to see here ... move along.

2011-11-18T18:24:00.001-04:00

Yeah - I have been at it again. The owl craze is not over, I have yet to see the end of their charm, and I still want to do nothing but owls.

These ones are the latest editions
.. I am sure you don't NEED to hear the details, but if you want them, they are on my Ravelry page (I am Heddy over there). I knit 4 owls for a work friend who wanted to buy them as Christmas gifts for her god-daughter and nephews ... she wanted 3, so I knit 4 to give her some choice.
The 4 she got to choose from are these guys
... and the only one I have left (after much deliberation over which 3 to pick) is the taller green one. So, because I can't have him be alone, I have another owl in the works ... yeah - I know ... I know.

I have been working on other things too ...
these elf slippers were for a woman who wants them for her daughter (she is 2, so I put anti slip dots on the bottom in red glitter paint :) sure to be a hit!).

I've also been working away on Christmas gifts ... a pair of socks for my Dad are on the needles - no picture yet (just a simple 2 x 2 rib, nothing fancy, knit in Kroy), and some other things that can not be named (I don't know who has this blog address, or who checks in ... so ix-nay on the esents-pray alk-tay. Wink wink nudge nudge, say no more, say no more).

I do have to get my arse in gear for the craft sale next weekend ... I thought I had something else on the go that would prevent me from being there, but so far, no news on that front, so I guess I have some knitting to do this weekend and this week ... my poor wrists will hate me! LOL! That's what I get for being a procrastinator! This year, I am taking a laid back approach - whatever I can get done is good enough (usually, I work myself into a frenzy, trying to have "enough" but this year, whatever I can comfortably do is going to have to be "enough". I guess you could say, enough is enough ;) You never know, maybe I will be busy next weekend and unable to go - I don't know, it is all a bit confusing now.

I didn't make it to Knit Night this weeek, but I did the week before, after a very long absence, and I realized how much I miss going (this week I planned to go but had to work in the early evening, and the company my husband works at has been having some difficulties of late so I came home after working instead of going to Knit Nite, as the union was voting that night and I wanted to be home in case the vote did not go the way we hoped) (he's not in the union, so no vote for him). It has been fairly stressful over the past few months because of that and a few other things going on in our lives. I won't go into everything ... just that is has been a bit more challenging lately to be cheery and social -- but my knitting buddies made me feel so welcomed, loved and cared for that I am wondering why I behave like a hermit when I have such a great support system!

ooops ... a bit off topic. sorry about that.
I think that's about all for now ... but I will have more to show you soon, once I get a bit of crafting for the craft sale completed this week -- stay tuned!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T07:31:00.005-03:00

(or should I say Happy "H-Owl-Oween?) When I sat down with T last night to carve, my imagination was gone, so went on the 'net, and found a punkin to inspire ... I am getting predictable! T's is totally from his imagination ...clever boy!

Bruce was unimpressed by our activities, didn't come into the kitchen once! But Duffy now has acquired a taste for raw pumpkin ... and prefers to forage for it on the floor, under the kitchen table (grub hound!).

I think I am back in the groove of blogging again - I do better on weekends, but I am at least getting one to 2 per week, which makes me a happy camper! (this is post 3 of three days)

yuck

2011-10-30T10:45:00.004-03:00

The vew from my kitchen at 10:45 a.m. -- this is my neighbors back yard that is flooded - so I checked our basement, and so far, it is dry (knock wood!). I should be ok as long as the pump holds and and we don't lose power.

ETA -- I think this is as high as it will get, the tide is supposed to be falling now.
This side (BELOW) is my side of the yard
I was starting to worry that I should load the critters in the car and head for higher ground, but then saw on the internet that the high tide was at 11:15 a.m., so hopefully, the wet in my yard will fall quickly. It has never been this high before! I was a bit nervous!

Nearing the end

2011-10-30T10:02:00.008-03:00

Another owl finished ...
this little guy is one of three I have been asked to knit for a work friend (she has three kids on her Christmas list who she thinks would enjoy an owl, so she asked if I would knit her some). Hootie is the sixth owl I have knit overall, and the second I have knit for her order. I have the third one cast on, and she's about 25% done.

Hootie is knit as most of my other owls have been ... from Bernat Jacquards, with other random scraps from the stash for his wings, legs, feet and beak. He was knit on 3.75 mm dpns, and was inspired by this pattern .

The other owl in this picture is Whoo-ver. He was the first owl I knit for my friend who wants 3 of them ... I think these two are going to cousins or brothers, so I wanted them to be similar, but different. She didn't specify colours, and said I could use my imagination ... I am thinking that I may knit a 4th one so she can choose 3 from a selection of 4 (that way, if she isn't struck on one, she isn't 'stuck' with an "ugly" one -- in my eyes they are all cute, but I made them so am biased).

I'm really far behind on my commissioned knitting ... I finally finished a green shrek hat the other day for a friend's grandson (delivered to her on Tuesday), but still have a lot to go! I have a fish hat for a child, an ear flap slouchie beanie for a child, a seed stitch stocking hat for a teenager, a man's ribbed toque, two pairs of slippers for toddlers, and I THINK that's it. Then I have to start knitting for the craft sales, as the last sale I went to , I sold out of almost every hat I had taken with me. All I have for the next sale are a few purses, and some old stock baby hats (which is a good thing, but also means I have to knit like mad to be ready for the next sale - I am not taking any more orders before Christmas).

What a blustery, miserable old day out there ... rain, nearly hurricane force winds and generally not nice at all! I guess I should be thankful - I had left the housework to do today, and now with the crappy weather, I have no excuses or desires to go outside, and should be able to get all the vacuuming, mopping, dusting and tidying done today. That is, if I don't get distracted by the computer or knitting (I didn't knit at all yesterday in the day - I got into rearranging/cleaning out the kitchen cupboards, and dunging out the fridge, and was distracted ... you know how you can never find what you are looking for in the fridge, so you open a new bottle and cram it in there? I had three part jars of salsa, 2 part jars of relish, and some condiments that expired in 2009 - I usually only do out the fridge one shelf at a time, because it takes so much time -- I guess the 2009s got missed in the other shelf clear outs! LOL! It it still crowded in the fridge ie; I have 4 quart jars of homemade beets unopened in there! plus heaven knows how many other sides and sauces, so I am not sharing a picture, but at least now, I can fit groceries again!). I'm off now to try to tame the other messes around the house!

Because it is nice to have a buddy

2011-10-27T13:13:00.004-03:00

(sorry re; the blurry pictures ... the brown one - aka Sisiboo Hibou - was being given to my MIL's friend who is visiting from Weymouth, and I had to get him to my MIL last night, and needed a quick few pictures to capture him forever ... he is #5 in the parliament so far, for those keeping track ;)

This is just a quick post, a run by posting, on my way back to work for the afternoon ... I hate to not have a record of what I have made! He is made of Bernat Jacquards, in Jasper colourway (same as the first one I made!) and has Knitpicks Swish feet, and Kertzer Accent in assorted colours for legs, beak, and wings. I like his pretty teal eyes :)

More ...

2011-10-21T17:24:00.005-03:00

I'm not sure if I know how to make it stop ... or if I want it to stop ;)

I may have to knit another 3 of these to break the cycle of insanity. I dunno - I still like the pattern, and I am still delighted by the finished object ... that means I still have a ways to go before I am done with it, so brace yourself for a possible deluge of owl pictures over the next few weeks.

Until I am - this is Whoo-ver, he is my newest (and possibly most cheery) owl. I am devoting myself to knitting only from the stash, at least for the time being, until there is a dent in it!

Whooo's obsessed?

2011-10-15T10:21:00.006-03:00

Not me, that's for sure.

Well, maybe I have a little problem ...

one thing does lead to another ...

and then I feel guilty because they looked lonely ...

but, just because I had already cast on for a fourth before the thrid was done, doesn't mean I'm obsessed ... does it?

This paliament of three owls is going to be sent off by mail as a Halloween gift to family out of province (well, maybe it is a wee bit obsessive to have to look up what to call a group of owls, but -- I digress) ... so I started the fourth one (for me, of course) as I will miss the wide eyed, unblinking stares and chunky little bodies when they ship out!) I don't know if you ever totally grow out of the love of stuffed animals -I melt over the cute faces, and squishable bodies :)

I knit these owls from my stash, with assorted acrylic and acrylic/wool blends for ease of washing (they are going to little kids, so I am anticipating them needing a periodic wash due to the results of being loved by a preschooler). I based the owls on this pattern and my imagination, used 3.75 mm dpns to ensure a tight fabric so the stuffings wouldn't show through. Some of the yarn was Bernat Jaquard, James Brett marble, Patons Decor, Sandnes Garn Perfect, and other blends I had in the stash ... I am happy to say, I did not purchase one thing for these owls (except a bag of poly fibre fill for the stuffing of the final owl)! They are a good stashbuster, and knitting from the stash on these allowed me to be a bit creative in my colour choices, instead of my usual "matchy - matchy" instinct when knitting for other people. The one I am knitting for me is from a remanent of Bernat Jacquard in blues that is not going to have quite enough yardage to finish the body ... so now I am questioning whether to do the wings in a colour that matches the body (I have navy and ivory in my stash in the right weight, or to go buy another ball so the wings will match .... hmmm - if I do that, I can knit a second owl the same as the first, for fraternal twins, but if I knit from the stash, I can stop knitting owls when I am done this one -- arghh - help! advice? Please!)

A final picture, before they go in the box to be shipped off - I hope they are a fun addition to the kids' Halloween!

I think I am back in the groove re: blogging :)

2011-10-09T11:41:00.004-03:00

After being a "post a monther" all summer long, I think I am finally back into the groove of blogging. This is my 4th post since Thursday ... and I still have a lot to say, so I guess that's a good thing ;)

The cheesecake turned out pretty ... although it has a very large Y shaped crack in the middle
(perhaps my oven was responsible -- "Y are u baking again? I thought u and I broke up?" LOL! It had been a long time since I baked, but I do love it and may make another something-something this afternoon (I have half a can of pumpkin left, and there are a lot of yummy looking pumpkin recipes on the 'net that would use that up!). I figure that the Y in the cheescake won't matter, once it is cut and topped with sweet whipped cream ... ahhhh!

I am working on another owl ... this time with the wings being created from stitches I pick up on the body (for Raul, I knit the wings separately, seamed them and them sewed them to the body ... fiddly! I'm not sure if I like the way I did the pick up and knits for this owl's wings
- I may have to make another one and fiddle a bit more to see if I can get it more like what I want (or maybe the fiddly way is the best way to get the results I want ... because Raul's wings are exactly what I wanted the wings to look like).

It's a beautiful weekend for Thanksgiving ... T's been enjoying the sunshine (and taking advantage of the nice weather to help his dad re-roof the camp we have on coffin Island). The camp is getting tin roofing put on it - it should be much more resistant to the elements than the asphalt shingles. I can't wait to go over and see it.

I think that's about it for now ...

2011-10-08T22:38:00.002-03:00

This weekend is the Thanksgiving weekend in Canada ... Monday is a holiday! Holiday weekends are traditionally busy for me -- we tend to be invited out to family dinners (this year, there are three of them! My mom's is tonight, T's parents is lunchtime tomorrow and my dad's is tomorrow suppertime) ... it keeps us hopping! We don't have to do anything other than show up ... which is fun, but I get the guilts (I am 40-something and have yet to cook a turkey bird! I plan to go to my grave having nevercooked on! Mydying word will be "I lived to be 102 and I never once had to make a damned turkey! {death gurgle, fade to black}". For lunch tomorrow, T is responsible for cooking the turkey, as his mom has a bad back and we don't want her fussing in the kitchen. His brother is also making a bunch opf stuff. I am making dessert ... pumpkin swirl cheesecake! It has been about a year since I baked anything, and I forgot how much I enjoy it. The cheescake went in the oven looking quite good, and smells delicious!

Earlier today, I went to a yard sale in a community nearby (they had over 50 people set up booths, and sell -- quite a big event. I set up in a yard with 5 other women, and I had my crafts for sale ... knitware, sewing and jams = over $200 in my pocket! Not a bad way to spend my morning ;) I also got a few great deals ... a brand new cedar dogbed (the large kind, like we buy at Price Club every few months for $30 ... the one I got today has never been used, smells like cedar, and was $10!!). I got a large frame that will hold a poster ... this morning, the price was $10, but I waited it out, and when I left at lunch, the lady had it marked down to $2 ... so I snatched it up!

I'm working on a sister for Raul ... so gotta go knit a bit!

Done, and forgotten!

2011-10-08T10:02:00.001-03:00

Hey ... I was going through some projects on Ravelry, and realized I had not posted a few things that I'd finished a while ago ... so I am ready to remedy that. Sometimes it is hard to come up with interesting tidbits and stories for the blog ... but actual knitting content, that's solid gold baby! ;)

At the end of JULY (!!) I finished these socks for my hubby T
(don't they look enormous? I think it is an optical illusion - they fit his size 11 feet perfectly, and he says they are his favorite pair yet). A bit loud in colour, but if you know me, you know that loud is my signature thang. If I had them to do over again, I probably would have cut out the yellow,as I am not struck on that part of the patterning yarn ... the other colours are lovely!
But, colour doesn't impact warm toes, so s'all good.

You know that Shrek hats that I so enjoy knitting? (I must be pretty close to 50 knit by now -- favorite pattern EVER!)
... well, I knit 4 more -- two different very Shrek-y greens, red and purple (which will not photograph well, no matter what I tried -- trust me, it is a lovely grape purple), as I have had requests for purple and other bright coloured Shrek hats.

For the craft sale last month, I knit two stocking hats with Bernat Felting yarn (it is a wool acrylic blend - sort of a weird name for a yarn that won't felt, but whateva!).
They were made up as I went along, probably inspired by a hat I saw somewhere on the Internet or in a magazine. Cute and fun.

And of course, you saw my pictures in the previous post of Raul the Owl.
(gratuitous cute owl picture)
Also inspired by a few patterns but made up (which means that as cute as he is, I will likely Never be able to make another one like him, no matter how hard I try :( I really should take/make better notes).

There are probably a few other things that I have knit and forgotten to record for posterity . .. but in the words of the very wise Ferris Bueller "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

Raul - the Owl

2011-10-06T23:14:00.003-03:00

... in my head, it rhymes

(with cereal and a Minion for perspective)

Bleary eyed

2011-09-17T17:51:00.000-03:00

In what has now become an annual tradition, I have knit myself bleary eyed through my week's vacation.

Every year, I take the first week of Sept. off, planning to relax and enjoy some time off with my hubby, and the past few years, have ended up knitting until I am bleary eyed ... wondering what brings on this annual insanity? It's not some natural instinct that drives me to knit feverishly into the wee hours of the morning, it isn't an impending birthday deadline, it isn't even for 'kicks". Nope - it is because I am, quite simply, a dumb-ass.

Every year for at least 7 years, my Mom, sister and I go to the Seaside Craft Sale in Beach Meadows, and set up a booth - Mom does pickles and sweet breads, my sister is a painter and wood worker, and I contribute jams and knitting. It isn't like this craft sale is a surprise to me - we've been doing it for over 7 years, and know the date nearly a year ahead of time, yet each year, about 2 weeks before hand I suddenly realize that I have NOTHING knit or made for it, and go into craft overdrive.

Usually, my mania is felted purses, but I think they may have run their course. This year - I focused my attention on hats. During my week of vacation, I knit 8 hats in 5 days ... it may be a personal best ;)

I made 2 purple Shrek hats,
a turquoise Shrek hat
, 2 stocking hats with biga$$ pom poms (i missed getting a picture of those ... they haven't sold yet, so I will get a picture tomorrow),
3 Santa hats

and an ear flap hat
-- then I started to get hand/wrist/arm cramps and weird knitting dreams, so I stopped.

That's when the sewing started.

Earlier in the summer, I had whipped up a few tooth fairy pillows for nieces and nephews, with 5 extra to take to the craft sale The evening before the craft sale, I realized I still hadn't sewn eyes on them, not sewed them closed to keep the stuffing in ... and that 5 wasn't really enough to look like "anything". So I sat down at 8 p.m., the night before the craft show, and made 11 more, got eyes sewn on all but 5 and the bottoms closed up on all of them -- it's a good thing, because they were a popular item! 7 went home with kids with wiggley jiggley loose tooths, or aspirations to one day have a missing tooth and need of a tooth fairy... so I will sew the eyes on the remaining 5, and maybe whip up 3 or 7 more.
They were pretty cute, if I do say so myself.

When my wrists were creaking on vacation, I thought that sewing might help, and sewed a few (15) tea wallets (1 was a gift, 1 was a prototype for me to use) in funky materials and dove into my button stash for the closures.

I was also in the jam pot, jamming for a good part of my vacation ...61 jars of jam, 3 flavors :)

The first day of the 2-day sale was today ...
We did pretty good, and had lots of fun working the table as a family, and seeing all of our "regulars". Can't wait to go back tomorrow!

BSJ FO

2011-08-28T09:31:00.007-03:00

I am usually the last one to find out about a trendy knitting pattern and am always one of the last to get ambitious enough to knit patterns that are considered "standards" amongst knitters. I have yet to finish a pair of "Monkeys" despite the fact that 14,747 other people have knit them (I get to a certain point and screw up, then frog, then they languish in the pile of neglected projects), I have yet to knit a "Clapotis" (and probably won't until I can get my mouth around how to pronounce it, despite the fact that 18,721 others have not let that deter them), only started knitting dishcloths a few years ago (prior to that, could.not get the increases to line up - mental block, I guess), over 6,675 people have knit "Bella's Mittens" which I actually got started then filed into the depths of the UFO basket, the "2 stripe Noro scarf" craze of two winter's ago came and went without me producing even one of the pretty scarves, even though there are more than 9,500 of them out listed on Ravelry, and other fantastic pattern trends come and go without me casting on or completing one.

It isn't because I don't like the patterns (I usually study all the project pages, and dream about "what I would make mine look like"), or that I think I am not a sheep following the herd to whatever the masses like (quite often, the masses and I have very similar taste), and it isn't because I don't have the time to knit what everyone else is knitting (heaven knows, I have time on my hands - I knit non stop in my spare time, and like new challenges). I think it might be because of fear - I think I am a nervous knitter. I like for my projects to turn out the way the pattern intends them to - I want my project to turn out like the picture, and get nervous that if "everyone" is knitting something, maybe I will be the one knitter in the whole knitterverse that doesn't get it, doesn't understand the pattern or arses it up beyond recognition (see Monkey's above!). I want my FO's to be as nice as everyone else's ... and before I knit something, I scour the project pages on Ravelry for all the tips, tricks and techniques I can to help me be sure that I get a FO that doesn't cause me grief along the way. It takes me hours, but dammit, it is going to be RIGHT! LOL!

One total knitterly classic that I have liked from afar for a very long time is the Elizabeth Zimmerman Baby Surprise Jacket - it has been a favorite for years ... I love stripes, like the idea of using up scraps, think it is cool that it is origami of sorts, and adore the idea that it has now been modified to fit adults (and have lusted after some of the adult ones I have seen. I threaten quite often that one day, I will knit an Adult Surprise jacket for me - a Coat of Many (Bright) Colours - possibly visible from space, if you are familiar with my sometimes loud taste in colours). I have never tried either pattern, despite the fact that 15,409 other people have indeed knit the baby version and only 572 have knit the adult version, most with great success.

I bit the bullet the other day, after seeing Nova Knitter's BSJ (that's what the cool kats call it! ;) and decided that I NEED one for me. I went home that very night and ordered the pattern, and waited patiently for them to mail it to me. Then, encouraged the Knitterpudlians (our local knitting group) to have a BSJ KAL (Baby Surprise Jacket Knit A Long) with me, ASAP. EZ recommends that before knitting an adult version, that it is beneficial to knit a Baby version first. I wanted my version to fit a 2 year old ... and was so concerned that it turn out correctly, and that I not be embarrassed in front of the Knitterpudlians (and the 18,000 + other people who knit the thing too), that I actually knit a gauge swatch ... yes, you read that correctly!! I knit a gauge swatch (admittedly my first, but I did it!). Mind you, I guessed the needle size correctly the first go at it, I can't say honestly that if I didn't get gauge the first time, I would have done a second gauge swatch. Luckily, the swatch gave me the gauge I wanted. In exactly a week ... I went from having three balls of yarn in a baggie to having this ...

I did it ... it looks like everyone else's and I think it will actually fit a toddler! YAY! (I found it kind of funny that it resembles another project I worked on last Fall
- I guess I like this colour combo - ha ha ha!)

I am still looking for buttons (I am fairly sure there is nowhere in my home town to buy them since our LYS closed it's doors - so will search my button jars or head out of town for a look see) ... and it is currently soaking so will follow up later with the post washing, Blocking and buttoned up pictures in a day or two.

People have said this is an addictive pattern ... don't believe it! It is easy to stop. The fact that the minute this sweater went for its bath, I cast on for a second one is purely coincidence! Stayed tuned for the results!

Wow ... August already?

2011-08-06T07:38:00.009-03:00

July got by me in a flurry of activity ... Summer is always such a busy time, there is rarely time for me to blog regularly in the warm weather months, and I am sorry about the long blog silence. Things are starting to slow down a bit, and now I have some time on my hands, so a blog post is due...

In the last week of July, we harvested the first of our blueberries.
(Big man hand for perspective, and the bowl is a salad bowl that is 11" wide by 3" tall) Now that we've started, we'll get at least this many every day or two until mid September, when we quit from sheer exhaustion! It is a daily task to keep up with the picking (and the eating!!). We've got 9 high bush blueberry bushes in the backyard.

This IS a knitting blog, and I AM a knitter, so there should be some knitting pictures and chatter. I haven't got much to show following more than a month of blog silence (refer to "summer is such a busy time ... " above) but I have got a few things.

Socks that Rock fingering weight has always been in my stash, ever since I discovered the happy that comes from knitting socks, but I had never knit it (I am a hoarder, and don't like to use things up as once they are gone, you might not get them again, and you should save the best to the last!). I won a "rare Gem" skein of Socks That Rock (one of a kind colours that aren't in the regular line ... they are sort of colour experiments at Blue Moon Fibres) about a year ago, and decided to give it a whirl (safely leaving my original STR purchases in the stash ... can't use 'em up!).
The socks are a plain vanilla sock with an eye of partridge heel, knit on my trusty 2.75 mm bamboo needles - and turned out pretty good! The STR is a dream to knit with, and the socks pretty much flew off the needles, when I actually took the time to knit them - which I didn't do often! I finished these socks on July 10, and had started them on April 2, at the Maritime Fibre Arts Retreat. I had read all sorts of things about STR that had me a bit nervous - the yarn is over spun, they bleed badly when knitting and when washing, and they wear out quickly - I can only attest to the first two things, as no one has worn them yet, but I didn't notice any issues with the yarn twisting back on itself from being over spun, and there was not a DROP of dye that came out in the wash. I have been eying the other colours of STR in my stash, and am definitely going to not save all of them forever! I will be stash diving soon, and will knit something with STR!

I love to knit when I am at a movie or a show ... if I have to sit through 2 hours in the dark, I figure I should be accomplishing something else besides just watching a show. It has become a tradition to start a pair of socks on the bus trip to the NS International Tattoo, and see how quickly I can get them done after the Tattoo concludes.
Started these on July 7th, completed on July 22nd. The yarn is Clarke and Kattens Clown cotton fingering weight, and it is a nice yarn to work with (ie; not splitty). It tuns out that two of the Knitterpuddlians have also knit with this same yarn in the same colourway, and warned me of colour bleed when washing them ... I must have grabbed a lucky skein -- very little bleed, even though I left them overnight in the soak. These are a fairly small size ... about a 6 - 6.5 -- I will have to check my list very carefully to see who is in that size range!

I have been knitting for my friend the photographer ... she had requested hats for 10 babies she has photo shoots with in (all were due in July/early August and she generally does a "1 week old" photo of the wee babes, and loves them in a chunky knit hat!). I knit a stocking hat for her, a bit bigger than what I would normally knit for an infant, as she said most of her babies are not tiny wee babes.

Gauge issue! The hat fit a 12 year old!

So back to the drawing board ... hopefully this will fit a young baby ...
This yarn is something I picked up at Walmart - Bernat Roving in the Rice Paper colourway. It is nice to work with, and even though it is 80% acrylic, it has a nice "hand" to it -- it is very soft. I also got some in brown and green, and will keep tinkering with the size to see if I am getting closer to what size she wants (the brown one I am currently working on is too big ... and needs to be frogged! Dang it!)

I've got socks in the works too ... but no pictures yet, as I don't like to take pictures until I have them completely done. I am making a pair for T and a pair for me (I think - I get grabby about wanting socks for me, then get the guilts about keeping them). The pair I am knitting was started specifically for me, because it is a colour of yarn I figured no one else would wear, but I showed it to a friend, and she said it was really pretty ... so maybe these socks aren't too ugly for a home, and will go to the gift bag. I dunno?

I will be back soon with another report ... I will have socks done soon, and probably a few more wee hats for photo props (and, I could get ambitious and tackle a few lurking UFOs too - one never knows!)

{tap, tap} Is this thing on?

2011-06-26T08:24:00.010-03:00

Sorry for the recent blog silence - it is my very busy time of year at work, so little has been getting accomplished on the knitting front, ergo not much to blog about on my knitting blog ;)

{can you hear the crickets chirping? LOL!}

Summer is always flat-out-one-thing-after-another-go-go-go-until-September at work, as I do recreational programming in my community, and summer is when people want to go out and be having a fun time with their families, and that's where I come into the picture. And we have summer staff for three separate locations for swimming lessons, and a summer person who helps me as well - so training is also squeezed in there around the programming. This weekend is my first weekend off since May, and I work again the next three weekends -- very busy time of year!

I decided today, I need to update the blog - it's been nearly a month since I last was on here, and just because I am busy, doesn't mean I should neglect something I enjoy. So a quick check in and not much to show for it.

I have a sock and almost half it's mate (started back at the Maritime Fibre Arts Retreat on April 1,2 & 3) - it is knit from Socks That Rock fingering weight, in a Rare Gems Colourway (made even more mysterious and rare, as I have lost the ball band and therefore can't even give it a colour name! ahh - the joys of being organized!). It is a plain old vanilla sock with a 1x1 twisted rib cuff and Eye of Partridge heel - turning out pretty (and possibly for me ... this is my first time knitting with STR, and I like the feeling of the yarn, and am anxious to see how it wears). The socks will be done by the end of the month, so I can live up to my goal/mental obligation of the Self Imposed Sock a Month Club.

Speaking of which ... the June selection (pulled from the "box of mystery" by my hubby T on June 1st) ground to a stop after a really impressive start on the first day of knitting - I was making great progress on the *** pattern, in a pretty green yarn from Knitpicks, given to me ages ago by Nova Knitter - it is the "Frog Prince" colourway, and is beautifully soft and fuzzy, as well as being delicious. I put the sock-in-progress down and came back a few minutes later with a fresh cup of coffee to find that the kitty had chewed his way through the yarn connecting the sock to the rest of the ball - that's right, Curly ate my working yarn! Grrrr! I was cranky, put it away to work on later.... and it is now the end of the month - no knitting has transpired. Shoot! (and I guess I must have been really frustrated, because I can't find the sock or the name of the pattern - it is now buried deep in the stash, possibly never to be seen again! I tidied my "knitting nest" last week, and don't have a clue where I tucked the sock - oh well :(

In other knitting news, a friend of mine is working on a side career as a portrait photographer (and has become very sought after locally), and wrote me the other day to advise that there is a mini baby boom coming up - a whole bunch of her friends and clients are due very soon (10 babies in the next month or so), and she wants baby hats to take the babies newborn pictures in. She is fairly specific about what she wants, and sent me pictures of a crocheted stocking hat that she likes/wants duplicated in a few colour schemes. The problem is I don't/can't crochet. I've failed miserably whenever I have tried. I am hoping this is a good replica for what she is looking for, but have a feeling it is too big for a brand new baby.
In the past, when I have made her infant hats, they have been too small for the babies she's had as clients, so we decided to make this hat a bit bigger, but it may be too big! Knitting fail!

No progress on my shawl ... I wanna pick it up, but with the other projects I have on the go, I can't remember where I am in the pattern, and feel like it is a waste of time to sit and figure out where I am with so much other knitting to do. I love it so far ... even though it is just a long skinny strip.
The SWS is a nice yarn to work with, and this colourway is so pretty. I'd like to have it done for the summer, to wear to my air conditioned workplace this summer.

I've been sewing too; working on a quilt (which I HAVE to get done soon). It is going to be a faux chenille quilt (you layer flannel, sew it together on the diagonal, then cut through all the layers but one, wash it and ... poof! It changes from a chopped up mess to a lovely plush, soft cool looking quilt. I am half done the sewing part, then to cut it, bind it, wash it and the Poof! part :)

And my multiple project personality extends from my knitting world to my sewing one, as there has been a UFO of a quilting nature sitting beside my sewing machine now for nearly a year ...
a rag quilt that was intended to be my sister's Christmas gift last year. All cut out and pinned, just waiting to have the other half of the blocks sewn (half are done!).

I have to go now ... writing about it all has given me a case of finishitupitis which I should take advantage of! Later gang!

Buckthorn Socks

2011-06-05T12:33:00.006-03:00

I knit these socks on my trip to Newfoundland ... and they were finished as we were on the approach to Halifax ... so not too bad time wise (5 days). They are a standard 3 x 1 rib with an eye of partridge heel, and a standard toe. Not really knit with anyone in mind ... but as Christmas draws nearer, I am pretty sure I will figure out who they will be "perfect for". They are about a ladies size 7. Knit on 2.75 mm needles from Kroy sock yarn, in Buckthorn Stripes colourway.

The pictures are taken on a 150 year old ash tree .... now I wanna call the socks Growth Rings ... but they definitely are "Boring Buckthorns"!

Leavin' on a jet plane ...

2011-05-26T10:09:00.000-03:00

but I know when I will be back again!

I am going on a little trip to Newfoundland for a few days. I left on May 23 and will be home on Saturday, May 28. It should be a good time ... Tom's family are all there (his parents moved to NS when T was 2 years old, and his brothers were 4 and 6 years old). There are lots of uncles, aunts, cousins and one grandmother over there, who we don't see often, and I am really looking forward to the trip.

Of course, I am not packed yet ... well, I will be by the time you read this! But when i am writing this on Sunday morning, I am not packed). One thing that is boggin me down on the packing is what to take for knitting? -- I am at a total loss. I want to take along my May pull for the Self Imposed Sock Club (which are nearly done)
, and some sock yarn for a vanilla pair for mindless knitting on the plane and at the airports, but other than that ... I haven't a clue. I don't want to look like a knitting idiot with a ton of yarn, but I also don't want to run out - I have put myself on a fairly strict yarn diet since the buying frenzy that was the 2 month closing sales at our local yarn shop (far too much stah to even contemplate another ball of sock yarn, or Briggs and Little in any weight!).

Weird, eh? You'd think I could come up with something exciting to take along ... I think I am bogged down by the fact that a lot of it will be social knitting - so I need to have pretty basic stuff, so I can particiapte in conversations - but also I don't want to be bored to tears with hours of stocking stitch. Plus, I want colour to take with me - cheery spring colours! Hard choices!

Visits to Newfoundland haven't been frequent - I have ben there twice ever, both times in the month of June, for birthday parties. The last time I was there was about 5 years ago. It should be a great time :)

Well - that packing isn't going to do itself!

I have a Theory

2011-05-22T09:48:00.005-03:00

Last Saturday, I thought we were going to see a movie (either Fast Five or Bridesmaids) so at suppertime cast on a pair of plain vanilla in colour that I figured would be good to knit in the dark (ie; something that is too ugly or boring to want to knit in the light of day). We ended up not going ... so I knit a little on them at home, and over the rest of the weekend, while waiting to go and lock up a space we were using for a fitness theory course taking place in our community. I knit a bit on them most evenings this week, and last night , almost 1 week exactly to the minute ... I cast off my vanilla "Theory" socks (named for the course).
The colourway isn't for all people's tastes, but isn't nearly as ugly as I originally thought it would be. I think the chunky stripes add a lot to their appeal :)

Details:
Pattern: my traditional vanilla sock recipe (based loosely on the Yarn Harlot's basic sock pattern)
Yarn: Austerman Step, colour 027
Needles: Bryspun dpns, 2.75 mm
Size: ladies size 8 or 9
Time in: May 14 - May 21 - creation is good ;)
Again?: the vanilla sock for a loud self striping is great ... not sure if I'd knit this colourway again - I like it, but not sure if it will be something that friends and family will fight over at Christmas! LOL! (I am debating keeping them for myself - even though they are PERFECTLY matched. I usually keep the socks with mistakes for me, I don't often get a error free sock).

They are soaking now - lots of time to decide who gets them.
I was amazed at how quickly these socks knit up ... maybe the wide chunky stripes had something to do with it? Or the fact that I wasn't sure about the colour? I dunno but they practically flew off the needles!

Way Late Watermelons

2011-05-14T13:55:00.004-03:00

I've been knitting, albeit slowly ... these were my March pick for the Self Imposed Sock Club, but got set aside so I could start and finish a vest to wear to the Maritime Fibre Arts Retreat. I had barely started the socks when I took them to the Retreat ... just the ruffle of the first sock was done. They were a pretty easy knit to take to the Retreat - 3 x 1 rib is mindless enough to work on while chatting!

Details:Pattern: Ruffled Garden Socks by Marsha Dayan
Needles: 2.75 mm dpns
Yarn: Kertzer on Your Toes 4 ply socks yarn, colour ON223817 (very descriptive, eh?), contrast heel toes and cuff yarn was Fortissima Socka colour 1012
Modifications: None (although I was tempted, as I don't usually like a short row heels - I liked the idea of the garter stitch heel and toe in the contrast colour though, so stayed true to the pattern)
Time in: March 1 - May 4 (hence the name - as these were the SISC2011 choice for March - because I knit them the entire month of April, I didn't do an April sock club choice!) They could have been done in a much quicker time, had I not knit a vest and two pairs of birthday ankle socks for mothers (mine and T's mom) in the middle of knitting these socks
Again?: Definitely, although the cast on for the ruffle is quite time consuming, the result is TOTALLY worth it! I think they are quite cute ... and would like to knit them again in another colour combination. Definitely a girlie sock ... and the next pair will also be in a "girlie" colour combo!

Spring knitting

2011-04-25T07:35:00.004-03:00

I've been knitting, honest I have - it's the finishing that isn't happening. I have a major case of startitis ... maybe it is a Spring thing (new growth everywhere, new growth on my needles? ). I don't know, but I have at least 5 projects on the needles right now in various states of "done", so not much of interest to show here!

April is always a busy knitting month for me, as my Mom, T's mom and T himself have birthdays within a 4 day span - this year that 4 day span fell the week of Easter (Mom's birthday is April 19, T & his Mom are April 23). Both of our Mom's love handknit socks, and I have gotten in the habit of making cotton wool anklets for them for their birthdays (or at the latest , for Mother's Day). I did get two pair of ankle socks knit and gifted (however, I only photographed one pair! Oops! In the excitement to get presents wrapped and out the door, I forgot to photograph my Mom's pair!)

This shot is of the pair I gifted to T's mom - it was a gorgeous sunny Easter Sunday, and the picture is a bit overexposed! Gotta learn to shoot in the shade!
My Mom's are almost exactly the same, except for colour - both were knit from my standard made up ankle sock pattern - Cast on 64 rib 2x2 for 8 rounds, divide for the heel, EOP heel, standard heel turn, traditional gusset decreases, and 68 rows of knitting from the heel pick-ups to the start of the toes shaping.

Details
Needles: 2.75 mm
Yarn: Patons Stretch Socks (my first time knitting with a stretch sock yarn. Verdict? not bad! I had been afraid I would pull so tight that there would be no stretch left in the sock, but there is ALOT of stretch in the yarn, so I was ok!)
Colourways: T's mom's anklets were knit in the "Sugar" colourway (pink, grey, white), and my Mom's were knit in "Grape Gumball" (purple, mauve, orange, mustard, grey, white).
Pattern: my own, from my head
Size: both Mom's are size 7 ... so that makes my knitting life easy!
Again? - of course! as long as there is spring, and a need for a fast gift, I will continue to knit ankle socks! I also liked the Patons Stretch enough that I will knit with it again!

I've also knit a few dishcloths so far this year, to add to the "quick gift bag". Not much exciting about them, but I do like to show what I have made, so I have a visual record of when I made things.

I am knitting away on a shawl for me, in Patons SWS (no pic to show, as I have no progress on it - just a long skinny strip of knitting that will be the ruffle around the edge). I am also knitting three other pairs of socks - all are pretty plain socks, and not near completion yet, so no pictures yet. And I am trying hard to finish a cardigan I cast on several years ago (2008?!?) and have not far to go before it is done and out of the project bags!

Soon, there should be a very picture filled post with FOs galore!

Hope you had a great Easter and that the bunny found you!

Catching up

2011-04-07T17:35:00.019-03:00

aka "I hate when other people do this, but I am going to do this because I have fallen so far behind!"
One thing that always bothers me when reading blogs is when someone doesn't post for weeks, then all of a sudden, there are 3 or 4 blog posts on days when there were no posts. Makes me feel like I am losing it, esp. when I check certain blogs daily, and KNOW there was no post there ... and suddenly there are 3.

If you checked two days ago, my most recent post was about getting ready to go to the Maritime Fibre Arts Retreat .. now I have 2 other posts on April 1 and 2 that weren't there and then this post too! --- sorry 'bout that folks! the posts were written, just needed photographic proof that they happened, so I added the pictures and posted them dated when they were written. Sorta like warping the space time continuum ... but at least the posts aren't delayed any longer than they needed to be.

So with that out of the way - I can chat about what I did over the weekend ... the Retreat was everything I have come to expect AND more :) It is amazing how much stress and life stuff just falls off you when you walk into a room with people who think like you do. Amazing really, how invigorating it is!

I went this year with a couple of friends ... J , who I have known for a while and have gone Retreating with before, and Marti, who has been a friend for 3 or 4 years (really? seems like we've known each other longer than that!) and was a MFAR newbie, and my roomie for the weekend. I could not have asked for better friends to go with ... its been a while since I laughed until my sides hurt, and tears streamed down my face (and happily this happened several times this weekend! So good for the mind to let all the happy flow!)
I already posted a pic of me being silly ... in my swanky new hand knit vest but here I am again
And it wouldn't be right to not post pics of my coconspiritors in craft ...
Marti

and J

Whenever I go to one of these crafty things, I like to take knitting that will allow me to knit merrily away, without paying much attention to what's on the needles, so I can chat and look around at what everyone else is working on ... 'cause I am nosey :) Usually, my project of choice is a plain old vanilla sock in a jazzy colourway, to keep me interested. This year I took my Self Imposed Sock Club choice for the month of March (my Way Late Watermelon socks) as I was behind (because I had knit a vest instead!). Pretty yarn, fairly easy and colourful enough to keep me interested.
It turns out other folks liked them too ... as Marti pointed out ... it got to be pretty funny, me knitting away on my mindless but pretty-to-the-point-of distraction 3x1 rib as person after person stopped to fondle the sock, dragging their friends over to see it, while Marti clickedy clicked away on her beautiful cabled-all-over-and-actually-required-some-attention socks which were getting no love. After the third or fourth time this happened - I casually mentioned to Marti and J that, really it was puzzling me as to why my sock, which was really simple, was getting all the ooohs, while Marti's socks, which were complicated and gorgeous, were getting the cold shoulder ... Marti and J had noticed too! LOL! so from then on, whenever someone would drag a friend over, exclaiming "see, these are the socks I was telling you about!" I'd say, "Its a self-striping yarn, but it is turning out quite pretty, eh?", and then the three of us would laugh our asses off as soon as people were out of earshot. I guess bright colours trump hard work every time ... and in my family we have a little joke we tease with - to make it in life, you can be smart, or you can be pretty.
My socks are pretty (aka - not very smart)- and that's ok (and I am already on the lookout for a yarn to maintain the level of popularity this year's sock had - so bring your A game, Marti and J! LOL!). It was also sort of funny that at one point a lady came over to us, and started raving about "how nice that sock is, and I love the colour" and Marti kept knitting away, not looking up, knowing it was about my sock ... 'cept it wasn't about my sock, and when Marti finally looked up and realized she said "oh ... you were talking to me?", and started chatting her up. I was glad that her sock finally was getting the attention it was due!

I managed to get the one sock done, but ran out of steam with the other. Spinning was done by Marti - who got a lot accomplished, J did a whole bunch of quilting on two tree skirts she is making for friends, and me ... I am nosey, so I got not a lot done!

But wow ... What a lot of inspiration in one space!

Oh - and inspired by the Yarn Harlot, there was a yarn bombing
(icord, made from roving Marti was spinning) ... left as a memento so the Atlantica Oak Island Resort staff remember the weekend the knitters, spinners, weavers, felters, crocheters, quilters and other crafters took over their lovely resort.
And plans in the works for how to make sure they know we were there after we visit next year!

Laughing 'til my sides ache

2011-04-02T20:23:00.002-03:00

That's a sign of a classic weekend, in my books!

Night two of the 3rd Maritime Fibre Arts Retreat ... and it it a hoot! Good friends, good food and good fibre - it doesn't get any better :)

Viva la Mochi Mochi!

2011-04-01T17:54:00.000-03:00

About 6 months or so ago, I bought a bag of yarn from Little Knits - one of my favorite spots to buy yarn (great selection, fantastic service, quick shipping and to-die-for prices!). I found a colourway that just screamed "me!" in a bulky weight 100% wool, and after debating whether to buy 2 or 4 balls, saw that the whole bag (10 skeins!) was only $25.00 US, I decided "To hell with it" and bought a bag (pretty wool is a weakness of mine and I am especially partial to self striping!).

The bag of yarn arrived, and I was happy to see that the monitor did not lie - pretty colours :) Then it struck me ... there was more yarn there than I could make a hat and cowl from, even more than I could use to add mitts to the ensemble ... what to make? So I set to scouring Ravelry for ideas ... Nashua Handknits Woolly Stripes ... what had other people made from it? Nine hundred and forty six projects, and most of them hats, scarves, mitts and cowls ... hmmmm!

I am a stasher, I admit it, but it pains me greatly to stuff beautiful yarn into the depths, never to be seen again ... that coupled with the bargain hunter in me compelled me to continue to search. Somewhere on Ravelry, I stumbled across this vest. Similar yarn, same weight, self striping, and cute as a button! I printed off the pattern, and put it with the bag of yarn , and forgot about it for a while.

At the beginning of March, I realized that the maritime Fibre Arts retreat was only 1 month away, and as usual, I had no hand knits to wear to it (and once again would have to be envious of all the other knitters wearing their own creations while I wore a store bought sweater!). It really isn't right that I have been knitting for 9 years, and really only have socks in my own knitwear wardrobe (every baby I know has a sweater, a skirt or a vest to show as a memento of knowing me, and my hubby has a cabled sweater in size XXHUGE that I knit him as my fourth ever knitted item, but me? nothing! well, a shawl, but other than that - nothing!).

I grabbed the pattern, and the bag of pretty yarn, and sat down to knit ... it was then that I realized the difference between my yarn and the yarn used in the pattern. Stripes were there, 100 percent wool was there, same sized needles and gauge was there ... yardage? not there. The Nashua was less yardage! I decided to risk it. I took my measurements and cast on for an XL. As I knit, I marvelled at the pretty stripes and the cleverness of the pattern, all the while wondering why I don't have a closet full of sweaters for me, it is so fun and easy. That lasted 3 nights, while the 'skirt' part of the pattern dragged on and on. As I held it up to me and wrapped it around my hips for the 45th time, I decided that an XL was going to be too big and if I went down a size it might still fit, and I should have enough yarn to finish it.

I hoped.

The skirt/lower part took nearly 5 skeins when knit to the size large length and XL width ... I hate math, but decided that the rest of the sweater couldn't possibly take more than the skirt, so continued in the size large. The fronts went together quickly, using a bit more than 1 skein each, then the back knit up quicker than I could imagine!

Details:
Nashua Handknits Wooly Stripes
Used: 9 skeins ... bought 10 skeins = 880.0 yards (804.7m) (I guess I can make my hat or cowl after all!)
Colorway: Viva!
Needles: 6.0 mm Harmony Circulars
Time in: March 2 - March 22 (20 days, including 1 week off for a cold!)
Again? Heck yeah! Nice pattern, cute end result, and a great candidate for the random balls of Noro that one acquires over the years :)

Today is the day!

2011-04-01T09:24:00.003-03:00

Yep - the long awaited day has arrived -- in less than 4 hours, I will be on my way to pick up a friend and head on out to the Maritime Fibre Arts Retreat, a 2.5 day and evening retreat into all things fibre! I am so excited - I feel like I am going to Disneyland!

When I break it down and tell my non-fibre friends (and even my fibre-supportive husband), it comes off as a bit ... umm... dull(?), and I don't know why.

"What am I up to this weekend? Well - it is sooo cool! I am going to go to really swanky resort" (I still have their attention at this part of my story), "And there are going to be a whole bunch of knitters, spinners, weavers, crocheters, quilters, felters, and hookers there" (I still have their attention here - especially when I mention 'Hookers' - they wonder if maybe we'll get arrested, go skydiving or something equally high adrenaline, because I am breathlessly telling my story of the fun time I am going to have ... well, and there are 'Hookers') and then "And we'll knit, and spin, and weave, and quilt, and crochet, and felt, and hook rugs all together in one room, and talk ... for two and a half days! It's so cool!" (this is where the eyes glaze over like day old donuts, and they start talking amongst themselves ... as soon as they find out the 'hookers' make rugs, the story loses some of its appeal, and I can see their interest is gone).

But ... that doesn't matter a fig to me! I am going knit, and spin, and weave, and quilt, and crochet, and felt, and hook rugs all together in one room, and talk ... for two and a half days! And the best part is - I'll be there with 169 other men and women who find it as breathtakingly wonderful as I do!
(photo of last year's retreat - from the Retreat's Flikr albumn)
Most of us will be on the lookout for hand knit or hand sewn or handwoven or hand crocheted items ... and will ooohhh and aaahhh in appreciation (and if we are wearing said items, we will bask in the praise of fellow fibre artists - it isn't something that the non-fibristas notice, and we'll lap up the fibre love!).
(photo of last year's retreat - from the Retreat's Flikr albumn)

We'll have a chance to try crafts that we've never tried before (I am hoping to hook up with a weaver and try my hand at that) - and although it is thought as cross craftual, and extreme crafting (so therefore very dangerous), we'll try, and maybe even become converted to the new craft. And that is where the danger lies ... I have seen with my own two eyes a rug hooker innocently sit down in front of a spinning wheel, just to see what is it like, and by the end of the weekend, without even knowing what happened, the now reformed hooker has left the retreat with her "new-to-her" spinning wheel securely seat belted in her car, which is of course crammed with as many bumps of wool, silk and alpaca fibre as she could squeeze in without forcing her travel partner to thumb a ride home!) I've also watched helplessly as an unknowing quilter stood watching a weaver, then sat in front of the loom just to see what all the fuss was about, then the next day saw the same quilter/weaver sneaking in a few minutes of internet time on Kijiji, looking for a decent floor loom that she could pick up on her way home. It is dangerous stuff - and that is part of the thrill of going - all of us love an adrenaline rush!
(photo of last year's retreat - from the Retreat's Flikr albumn)

The time to hop in the car and go is drawing near - I still have a few patterns to pack, a double check of my supplies, to ensure I am adequately yarned up, have the right sized needles, my tools (scissors, stitch markers, and large needle), and anything else I might want or need (I mean really - how much of an annoyance would it be to not have the "right" supplies in a room filled with that much inspiration? I gotta be properly yarned up!. I suppose I should get packed ... find clean jeans and some shirts that go well with hand knits ;)

Wish me luck! I will post a full report on Sunday - or maybe I will try to blog from my ipod touch (we'll see how that goes!)

Ahhh ... spring weather!

2011-03-27T15:45:00.008-03:00

Every day for the past week, I've been seeing these irises and crocuses (croci?) on my way out the door to work, and haven't had time to slow down and enjoy them. Today it is dazzling outside, so I grabbed the camera, stooped down and had a good look, inspired by the fact that they might not be here too much longer. I love early spring flowers ... they really enforce the idea that the cold and gloomy days of winter will soon be behind us and we'll have colour in our lives again, soon!

Purple has always been one of my favorite colours, and as such, my gardens have a lot of purple flowers ... but occasionally, I do add other colours , in small amounts ;)
The only two white crocus in either of the front beds!

I am pretty sure I would have startd out with more than that, but haven't planted crocuses in years ... so am happy that they escaped being eaten by bugs and squirrels!

Another sure sign of spring is empty house syndrome -- every weekend that T is not working, he isn't at home ... he gets up, makes our breakfast, and is off to the woods on his tractor for the day.

He's pretty industrious, and loves being in the woods - today he called me to come out and join him for a break (he said I'll get pneumonia if I don't get some fresh air and sunshine soon! What can I say, I like to putter around the house;)

He cut several load of logs ... pretty big wood, eh?

And because I know one or two of you have people in your lives who enjoy the tractor ... an artistic shot of T's big red tractor ...

Enjoy the sunshine!Winter is done!

Book Review: Mother Daughter Knits

2011-03-12T09:31:00.000-04:00

Its been a while since I have done a book review (my last bunch of books got eaten by the mail system somewhere between here and the border in November).

Before I received Mother Daughter Knits, I thought it might be a book of interpretations on the same pattern, modified for a younger and older woman, or that maybe it would be a mother and daughter's take on similar patterns, or even matchy matchy knits for moms and their tots ... and was surprised to find it is none of those. The book features knitwear that appeals to all aged women, designed by a mother/daughter knitters Sally Melville and Caddy Melville Ledbetter.

The book has beautiful pictures of the 30 designs. The patterns are classified as beginner, intermediate, and advanced skill levels, with the majority of the beginner knits being designed by the daughter who has been knitting for 5 years (she has designed some amazing pieces, and it is hard to believe she has only been a knitter for such a short time!).

The mother's designs really appealed to me ... the cardigans are stunning ... and are the sort of patterns I daydream about knitting.

Yarns used are commonly found in shops or online, which is always a helpful thing for knitters who don't have easy access to fancy designer yarns or ample choices of hand spun.

One of the neatest things about the book is the chapter devoted to Fits that Flatter - a guided tour through how to find the most flattering shape for your body type (and the "paper dolls" used to show the body types and style options really drive the point home!).

This is ideal for anyone who has ever knit a sweater and been frustrated that their finished object didn't look as good on them as it did on the model in the magazine! It also provides insights into ways to modify patterns to emphasize your assets and draw attention away from your flaws. Useful stuff!

The book was originally published in hardcover in 2009 and has been re released as a softcover. It is a lovely book, with beautiful pictures, easy to follow patterns, big charts, and a nicely illustrated section on the techniques used in the patterns ... and would be a great book for someone who is new to knitting to advance through the patterns (the stylish patterns would help an inexperienced knitter to increase their skills over several projects to become a intermediate or even advanced knitter), and also has several interesting patterns that will interest an experienced knitter. The patterns have a timeless appeal, and many could become classics!

Sunshine in February

2011-02-27T11:25:00.006-04:00

February is a month that is usually filled with grey days, cold and often snow in my part of the world. This is why I usually plan our annual or bi-annual vacations to sunny warm spots to happen in February (that, and I am a Groundhog Day baby, so always feel compelled to give myself a terrific gift - and really, who should have to endure the cold on their birthday, right?)

I had my husband draw my monthly choice from my Self Imposed Sock Club box a bit late this month, as we were sunning ourselves early in the month, and I was working on other projects during the first two weeks of Feb., and the SISC 2011 slipped my mind! He drew the bag containing the Primavera pattern by Natalja, and two little yarn cakes of Fleece Artist mills ends I have had for years ... in a sunny yellow,orange,red colour combo (I asked t if he had 'cheated' to pick that bag, knowing I would need some sunshine in my days, but he said no - just a happy coincidence!).

I cast on Feb. 13, with 2.75 mm needles, and finished them this morning (Feb. 27) ... and am feeling pretty chuffed about it (1.5 days before the end of the month deadline!). It wasn't looking like I'd make it, but sock#2 flew off the needles while I had a pedi appointment yesterday, and we stayed in last night, so the sock had some attention then as well :)

Glad to be done with them ... pretty, but I am wanting to move on to the next pair ... Tom will draw on March 1st. I managed to get 3 pairs of socks done in February, and one pair in January, so I think the club is working for me (it was intended to spur on my sock knitting, to decrease my abundant stash - which it has done, as long as I can stick with it and get the pairs knit each month, and give me incentive to "finish" the socks I start - as well as some of the UFO socks in my WIP basket). It is doing those things, so I am happy.

Well, I have a day and a half left in February, with no deadline pressure ... I am off to knit a bit on a vanilla sock and maybe start a new hat. Have a nice sun-less Sunday ;)

A quick post on a Sunny Saturday

2011-02-19T11:00:00.013-04:00

Found this picture, uncredited on the web, and thought it was very cute ... and descriptive of my normal Saturday morning routine of double fisting coffee!

This is just a flying post, as I head out the door (I found something online that is in a shop in a nearby town that I NEED, so am going shopping in a few minutes).

It has been a pretty busy knitting week ... 5 projects in a week :) makes me happy!(I am going for brief here - if you want details about patterns, yarns, needles and other things like that, check my Ravelry project page ... I list all the details there, along with long, drawn out stories about how my projects come to be ;)

Little Sweater for my Mum's dog ... I call it Ruff and Tuff (it is being modelled by my Kitty, Curly, who is about the same size as Simon, Mum's Lhasa Apso)

You've seen these, finished last weekend ... socks for my hubby. These are what I like to call a "Knitting Win" as he's worn them 3 of the past 7 days (as soon as they are clean and dry, they are on his feet - YAY!)

You also saw my minion, Onion, who was finished last Saturday ... but he's cute and past of the 5 FOs in a week, so gets shown yet again here (I like him so much, he will have a minion nation behind him soon!)
>
These are two cowls I knit on Thursday and Friday evenings for my niece and nephew ... their Mum requested I knit a cowl for her son, as she really likes the one I made him last Valentines Day . I don't think it is right to give to one sibling without giving to the other, so whipped up one for his sister too. I made the pattern up as I went along (it isn't much of a pattern, just some ribbing and stocking stitch, and a button placket, but it all came from my head ... and I am pleased they turned out cute, and that the two sizes I knit fit the two kids I was knitting for (It would have been an epic fail had they not been able to get the cowls over their heads, as I worried! But they fit, my SIL is pleased, the kids seem to like them, and I am happy that they are done, and took less than 4 hours each from cast on to sewing the buttons on :)

And that was my week ... from Saturday afternoon to Friday night :) I love quick knits, and projects that fly off the needles ... I feel so productive (this is why you don't see sweaters coming off my needles ... I need the instant gratification. I am easily bored!)

Have a fantastic day! I am off to shop!

Sock Catch up

2011-02-14T12:16:00.006-04:00

Its been a while since I last posted ... we went on a holiday, so I am blaming that for my lack of blogging (you know - it takes time to pack, soaking up the sun isn't as easy as it sounds ;), and then the unpacking and recovery from being in vacation mode is stressful and a time suck as well! - that's my story, and I am sticking to it). I have been knitting though :)

These are my Girlie Girl Socks ...
I dug the half finished socks from my WIP basket, and decided they would be good socks to work on while flying to our vacation, and they were. I got most of them knit on the plane trips, and finished them off when i got back home. They are a mash up of a plain vanilla sock of the foot, and for the leg, the Spiral sock pattern by Patons was used. They are knit from Kroy (Mulberry Stripes colourway), on 2.75 mm needles, in tandem. That's all the detail you get - aside from -- I love them :) So pretty, and after I soaked them in an Avon bubble bath bath, they are so soft and squishy :)

I have mentioned before that my Hubby loved hand knit socks,and may have mentioned he has recently begun to appreciate the woollie goodness (aka hand killing pain in the @$$) that are B&L Tuffy socks. He wears the socks I knit him in the Fall every day to work (he has 3 pair, plus a pair I made him when I first started knitting, rounding the total up to 4 pairs) and likes the fact that "even when my (sic) feet are wet, they feel warm and dry". So, partly because he loves them, and I love him, and partly because I don't want to do a sock wash more than once a week, I cast on for a 5th pair of thick/hand maiming socks for my big man!

These took 5 evenings, and I must say, are really nice warm soft socks :) He loves them - and that makes me happy :) As soon as the numbness goes away, I will knit him 2 more pairs, and that should be enough thick wool socks to get him through his long work week (and keep me from doing a sock wash too often - I hate having socks strewn everywhere, air drying :( ).

These 2 pairs count toward my Self Imposed Sock Club for 2011 (both knit from stash and completed this year), and bring my annual sock count to 3 pairs.

I was on a finishing things off kick (for all of 2 hours - hey, I take it when I can get it ;) It doesn't happen often!), so went rummaging in the WIP and UFO basket on Saturday morning, and discovered a project I had started in January 2010 ... it didn't need much work, and less than two hours later, I had a FO (and had freed up yet another pair of sock needles! At this rate, I will have so many pairs of sock needles, I will need a new needle case!).

May I present Onion, my Minion. Details are on Ravelry.

His bio:
Name: Onion the Minion
Hobbies: tangling kitty’s fur, guardian of the car keys, keyboard tester
Likes: sunny days, working out the triceps, leftovers, long naps on rainy Saturdays
Dislikes: dust bunnies, celery, waiting

Winter wonderland

2011-01-22T10:15:00.010-04:00

When the temperatures drop, and the snow starts to fly, that is a special time - knitters settle in, with balls of lovely, soft and colourful yarn, and create magic by clicking their sticks. Most years, by today, I am well on my way, and have usually got several things to show for the many cold evenings spent indoors.

This year, however, we haven't seen much winter - our temperatures in Nova Scotia have often been above the freezing point, and we've had more snow than rain. Global warming is ruining the knitter in me - and messing up the Winter Wonderland mentality that I usually have that spurs on the knitting production during the long, dark winter months.

Since making these, I really haven't had many "wins" - I started my January Self Imposed Sock Club socks (Monkey by Cookie A is the pattern, in Beach colourway with Estelle's Arequipa Yarn) ... the pattern looked great in the yarn, and as I clicked away, I kept wondering why I had never knit with this lovely mohair/merino sock yarn ... spoingy, soft and excellent fabric for the Monkey pattern. I made it to the heel turn within 3 evenings, and when I started to count to separate the heel stitches to make the heel (and patting myself on the back for my speed), I realized an important thing --- despite being able to tie my own shoes, as well as being able to walk and chew gum simultaneously, I can not count. Mysteriously, one needle of the 4 holding stitches had magically sprouted 4 additional stitches, since about a half inch into the cable pattern. HMMMMM ... they got put in time out for a while - nearly three weeks to be exact, and last night I decided to try to "fix" them.
Fixed ;)

Damn skinny yarn and poor lighting! I am thinking that the Monkey Socks will become the February Flying Monkeys in my SISC, and I have determined that a pair that has been a hibernating WIP will resurface and become my January installment of the club (hey, it's my club, I make the rules!). After recovering from falling into the frog pond, I went rummaging, and found these ...

Spiral socks in Kroy Jacquards in the Mulberry Stripe colourway, with just one leg completed, and the ribbing and one repeat of the spiral pattern of the second sock done. Perfect, and I envisioned finished socks by the end of the month :), which means another pair of Christmas gift socks completed!

I picked them up, figured out where I was in the pattern, and began knitting away. After one repeat of the 6-row pattern, I compared my tension to the other sock ... not bad, but a bit loose on the lacy bits. For the next 6 rows, I focused on tightening the tension to match the first sock. Check? Nope - not even close. I thought, maybe I had slipped the slip stitch as if to knit on the first stitch, and with the second sock, I was slipping as if to purl - was that the gauge issue? rip, rip out the evening's work, and start again, slipping as if to knit. the 6 row check revealed I was still loose, but being in denial, I figured I wasn't tugging tight enough, and committed to another 6 rows ... check? Nope, no success.
(not sure if you can see or not, but the longer sock has barely any noticeable holes, and the second sock has smokin' huge holes! OMG - as I am typing this, I realized, I think, what I did wrong! I think that when I started them originally, I had just taken the Lucy Neatby class, and had learned about knitting into the back of a YO to make a tighter,less messy hole ... I bet that's why the first sock is so tight! Looks like when I am done blogging today, I will be ripping again! If I hadn't blogged this, I probably never would have figured it out! Yay, Blogging!)

It has been hard to have knitting mojo, as I inferred earlier, due to the mild weather. we've had a few cold days, and a spatter of snow now and then, but it is gone by the next day. There have been evenings where I haven't even picked up my sticks.

I feel terrible about that, because Santa Claus was good to me this year, and I got some NICE sticks ...

and all the sizes of sock blockers that Knit Picks has (I am wondering if Santa is hoping for more wool socks?).

And yes ... that is a new pair of socks. for all my lamenting over not having any FOs , I did finish those about a week ago. The yarn is Kroy, in a colour i can't remember right now, and am too lazy to flick over to the ravelry project page. They are a plain vanilla, knit with 2.75 mm needles. And are a Christmas 2011 present :)

I also was lucky enough to get some yarn that I had in my Knitpicks cart (sneaky Santa!). I don't remember what I had in mind for this yarn, as the Gold isn't a colour I'd usually choose (the Pumpkin is right up my alley though), but I am sure it has a destiny, just waiting to be revealed :)

Even my dad got in on the "She's a Knitter, I wonder if she might like yarn?" kick, and bought me two skeins of Briggs and Little Heritage in Heather brown, and Mulberry. The picture doesn't do the colours justice, as the brown is much richer, and the Mulberry is less bright and just gorgeous!

I scored pretty big on stash enhancement and tool development this year!;)

Now I am sitting around, not knitting, trying to think what I should take on holiday trip next week ... definitely sock knitting for on the plane (the Flying Monkeys, for sure, and possibly the Spiral Stripes socks, if they aren't done by then) and maybe a plain vanilla pair for if I can't focus on remembering which row I am on(I just have to narrow down what colour self striping to take). I usually don't get much knitting done while on holiday, but the time on the plane and at the airport usually results in a lot of progress!

First FOs of 2011

2011-01-09T09:40:00.009-04:00

I thought for sure with being part of the Self Imposed Sock Club 2011, my first FO would definitely be a pair of socks (not my socks - I took this pic. during Lucy Neatby's workshop in Mahone Bay a few years ago)... and I am so close to being done a pair, it isn't funny (mere rows away from doing the final toe graft), but yesterday a knitting emergency of sorts came up, forcing the socks back into the project bag.

A friend of mine has been planning to get a new puppy , and she and I went shopping for puppy supplies yesterday, thinking they would be getting the puppy in a week. I went home, and started cruising Ravelry looking for a pattern that I could knit up for the new pup, thinking I had a week to get it completed (visions of puppy sweaters were running through my head). Not an hour passed after I got home and the phone rang - it was my friend, very excited, saying the puppy breeder called, and the puppies can go to their new homes whenever the families want to go get them ... so my friend , her hubby and kids are loading into the car the next day to go get their new baby. I wished them well, grabbed more coffee, and went back to Ravelry ... the search was not a leisurely one anymore! I had a deadline ... and then I found it! A pattern that would be cute, fast to knit (I hoped) and tough enough to withstand little sharp puppy teeth for a few weeks (after being a momma to 3 pups over the years, I've learned that nothing lasts ... so not getting attached is good!).

I cast on at 4 p.m., hoping that the pattern would be quick, and that things like supper would magically appear (they did - T came home from work with groceries in hand - he had something in mind that he wanted, and set to work making it), and amazingly, the dumbbell was done less than 2 hours later! It was so much fun, I cast on for a second immediately (as I am known to do!). Poof! 2 toys waiting to be felted before bedtime!
I used needles a full mm larger than the pattern calls for, and the felting on the colourful one isn't as tight as it should be (not sure if I overstuffed them, or if the large needles are to blame ...but ladders have now been fixed with my first attempt at needles felting). Wow! Needle Felting is fun! and easy! and fun! (LOL! did I say that already?) I bought the needle felter tool a year ago, and never tried it. I was a bit scared of it and all its pointiness ... but last night, it saved me! The toy is much cuter with the scrolling, and the gaps are now covered (but in a cute way, not a "I arsed up and now have to fix it in an obvious way" way).

The two dumbbells are now drying over the register, waiting until after supper when we go to meet and greet the new pup ... you can't visit a new baby without a present!
(these toys have been officially tested and endorsed by a big, fluffy kitty).

End of Year Round Up

2011-01-02T12:26:00.009-04:00

Well - another year gone, and a new one is here -- it sure did go fast, and I have to say, 2010 wasn't the best year we've had here at the Cook homestead. There were some fun times that I wouldn't have missed for the world, but there were also some things that I really don't want to go through ever again!

Looking forward to 2011, I am hoping for a year filled with good things, health and great times for us and for our friends and family :) And of course, lots of knitting!

I have neglected the blog during the month of December - too much knitting and other things going on in my life to be able to devote time to doing proper posts, so I just let them slide. I have been on top of the Ravelry project page though ... so if you are on Ravelry, you can swing over there, and have a look at pictures of what I have been doing. I will try to do a quick catch up here, but be forewarned - this is a long post, with a few pictures, so go pee now and grab a cup of coffee;)

A last minute, end of year project came up, and I managed to fit it in under the wire, just before the New Year began ... my BIL enjoys felted slippers, and a few years ago, I gave him a pair that I had made from Briggs & Little that would not felt down to a size that would fit me or the woman I had knit them for ... he took them off my hands, and has been wearing them pretty near daily ever since. Two Christmases ago, I had his wife's name in our family Christmas draw, and she also enjoys cozy slippers, so I thought I'd make her a pair (then was told by my phsyio not to knit, so a kind Knitter friend took on the project and knit them for me ... thanks again, Marti!). Flash forward to Christmas Eve 2010, and she tells me that my BIL has been wearing her slippers and has now worn holes in hers slippers plus his own ancient ones (so my knitter mind starts working -- maybe a good idea for next year). Then Christmas morning, I gave each of the nieces a pair of felted elf slippers (theirs are the mauve and pink picture), and my BIL commented that he had hoped that my hubby or I had drawn his name, because he had hoped for felted slippers. He said he had even told my hubby and his other brother that whoever got his name should connect with me to work out a slipper deal. That is so funny, because I had planned to make him a pair if T or I got him, knowing that his old pair was holey (but not knowing he had also worn out his wife's slippers too).

Well - a Knitter cannot pass by a non knitter in need - I think that it is in the Knitters Code that someone who loves feltwear that much MUST have said felt wear knit for them, if they are unable to do so themselves. I went stash diving as soon as I went home (and had no suitable B&L - thank goodness! All I stock at home are single skeins!) but I did have a nice manly Deep Olive, and some Paprika Classic Wool that was a nice match.

The Details:
Time in: Started Dec. 27, and finished Dec. 30, with 1 non-knitting day when my niece came for a sleepover (I didn't felt them until today, as that was as soon as the BIL & I could connect, but I couldn't them as done in 2010, as the knitting was done well in advance of New Years Eve)
Needles: 9 mm
Size: Ladies large with extra rows added for width
Materials: Classic Wool by Patons, in colours noted above

He came by today for the felting, and they fit him perfectly. They are drying now, and I am going to try painting the soles to see if that helps with the wear of them.

They are my official final FO of 2010.

Here is the run down of all the things I made this year - I didn't do one last year, and found that I really had no sense of how much or how little I produced in the run of the year, so this year - I am having one (and I haven't added it up yeat ... I am interested to knwo what my final total was!)

Slippers - 1 adult pair, 7 pairs childrens, or elf slippers
Socks - 3 pairs thick wool, 7 pairs fingering
Dishcloths - 34
Hats - 14 adult, 17 child/baby, 5 Fish Hats, 3 Shrek
Fingerless gloves - 2 pairs
Cowls - 4 adult, 3 childrens
Purses - 6
Photographers blanket prop - 1

Total = 107 things (wow! I had forgotten some of the things I made ... it feels good to have made over 100 items)

Looking at the list, I only have one regret -- I didn't make as many pairs of socks as I would have liked, or as I usually do. That will change in 2011, as I am taking part in the Self Imposed Sock Club on Ravelry ... modelled after the Yarn Harlot's project, I have matched balls of sock yarn from my stash with some patterns that I really enjoy, or have always wanted to knit, sealed them in bags and will randomly pick a bag each month, with a deadline of the end of the month to finish the pair. at the end of the year, I should have 12 pairs of new socks for gifts or for myself! And also a terrific way to stash bust - I have intentionally pulled some of the older stash, as well as some yarns I have been meaning to use for a while!

I had T draw the first bag for me yesterday - the pattern is Monkey by Cookie A, and the yarn that I had paired with it is Estelle's Arequipa in colour 202 "Beach" (mauvey/blueish/purpley/greyish). I cast on last night, and got one repeat of the pattern done before bed. I have only made Monkey one other time, and didn't have luck with it ... ran out of yarn, so I am being careful with this pair. This pair is tagged for T's mom for Christmas. As I was bagging things up, I was thinking of who they might be good gifts for, and put stickies on them so I remember when I open the bags months down the road.

Oh yeah - on Boxing Day, I finished the Red Rover socks for T from B&L Tuffy. I finally got a pair of bamboo needles in 3.75 mm and they made a big difference in the pains in my hands - well, that and I tried to only knit on them in smaller time periods. He loved them, and wore them immediately -- these are modelled after he got abck from duck hunting. It was a bitter cold day, and he was the only one of the four who went who didn't get cold! He told all of them it was because of the wool - he wore these wool socks, plus a wool sweater, a hat and a cowl - all made for him by me!

Before Christmas, I got on a jag of knitting felted elf slippers ... they turned out cute, and I wound up making 6 pairs (2 pairs in adults sizes and 4 kids pairs). They are so sweet, and I am definately going to make some for family members who didn't get them this year. 2 pairs for my nieces were finished late Christmas Eve.

Over the holidays, my niece came over for a sleep over, and we did woolie crafts -- we made felted beads, and soap in sweaters. It was a lot of fun, a bit messy, and she really enjoyed it.
I have to get some wool in colours I like and make some beads for me now :)

I think that's all iI have right now ... see you in a few days!

Pre-Christmas Catch-up

2010-12-20T21:46:00.019-04:00

Its been a while since my last post, but over the past few weeks, I guess I've been busy. Christmas knitting ramped up, taking up a bit of time, and I am nearing the home stretch (and should admit defeat, and say I am done, but there is always the hope that I get one more thing done!). I am mostly pleased with the output, but am still feeling the stress of "crunch time" ... and since I have decided that I don't need more stress in my life, the rest of the things I have planned to make will be put on the back burner and made, if I have time, over the Christmas break, and given as "just because I like you" presents at the end of the month, or into January.

I've made some hats ...

I've also made a few pairs of slippers ...

And a couple of gift wash-cloths in festive holiday colours ...

I love festive holiday colours ;) And am planning to finish the 4th cloth today. They are going with 2 gifts for the secretaries at T's work. They love the hand knit dish cloths, and so will get 2 each, along with some Lindor Chocolates, a mug with snowflakes on it, and a Santa ornament.

I think that sums up the past month of knitting ... details are on Ravelry, on my projects page, or send me a note if you want to know the details on patterns, needle sizes, etc.

I wanted to show you a pretty moonrise from a few weeks ago ...

- it was breathtaking, and these pictures don't even come close to the loviness of it :)

Nearly ready ...

2010-12-05T22:39:00.005-04:00

now I just have to start my Christmas Shopping :) (technically, I don't have to "start" - I have 2 presents so far, so I really only have about 25 or so to go... nearly ready!).

I can't think of the last time we had our tree up this early ... its been a while. I have really got a bad case of Christmas Joy this year ... not sure why, but happy to have it! Its fun to be festive:)

Warm Up

2010-11-24T17:02:00.006-04:00

As much as it scares me to admit it, Christmas is just around the corner (today is the 24th of November, which is officially 1 month before Christmas Eve ... close enough that even if you aren't ready for it, you have to admit ... the big day is coming soon!!).

Christmas is a time for giving, sharing, and knitting (not everyone knits, but most everyone I know does, and I can't think of one person who'd dispute the holidays being a time to share and think of others). Warm Up America is a charity that distributes warm afghans, caps and other items to thousands of people worldwide. The charity has the idea of having volunteers each knit one or more small squares, and then joining them together to create the finished product. Pretty cool ... and heartwarming to think that something you create will be joined with other knitters or crocheters work to make someone you don't even know warm and happy for the holidays, eh?

Designer Nicky Epstein has a new book out called "Knitting Block by Block". and the publishers of the book, Potter Craft, is providing two fabulous, free block patterns from the book that could be made into squares for the Warm Up America Project.

The free PDFs are located here.

If you want to warm someones heart (and head and toes) by helping someone less fortunate, please knit a block by December 2nd and send it to ....

Potter Craft
Crown Publishing, 12-1
1745 Broadway
New York, NY 10019

It will do your heart good, and help put you in the Christmas spirit to help someone less fortunate than yourself. The first 25 blocks received will be sent a copy of Nicky Epstein's book, and the next 25 received will get another free pattern from the book :)

** Edited to Addd ... the new book by Nicky Epstein looks great ... here is another lovely project link to a free pattern -- it is beautiful
- the Snowflake Splendor Hat. Simply 2 blocks, and it is gorgeous!

Mad Hatter

2010-11-15T17:05:00.002-04:00

Another pattern that I will knit the joy out of is the Ribbbed Beanie by Woolie Wormhead ... I like the quickness, simplicity and classic look of this beanie, and am thinking it will be knit a number more times before the charm wears off.

I started with a few skeins of Briggs & Little Atlantic, and the hope of finding something interesting to knit from it. A quick Ravelry search later, and I discovered this pattern ... lurv it!

The first hat I knit was this one ... Teal Blue trim with an Orange hat.

Then the following one was the reverse combo (and a smaller size, as the Orange hat was floating on my head!!! I am definately a medium headwise).

As soon as I cast off the Teal, I started a different pattern and knit that hat (details later), but wasn't as enamoured with it as I was the Ribbed Beanie ... so off I went and bought more yarn, and cast on for a size large with Red Heather for the trim, and a Light Grey for the main hat. (Atlantic has a lot of nice colour choices).

Sunday morning I cast on for my fourth hat in this same pattern, in size medium this time ... Red Heather with Light Grey trim.
(man- I hate being home alone, taking my own pictures, and having no one around to model for me ... excuse the wrinkley old puss, k?).

These knit up so fast, and are so nice and thick and comfy on the head. I've knit 4 so far (in 5 days), and so far, the charm has not worn off (although, I do wish I could figure out how to tighten my tension on the knit stitch leading into the pair of purls ... that looseness is bugging me a bit, but so far, that's the only issue I have with the hats ).

If you are on my Christmas list ... lemme know what your favorite colour combos are ...

Book Review: Mastering Colour Knitting

2010-11-13T08:14:00.010-04:00

Colourwork has always intimidated me ... I have never been able to get it to turn out smooth, without gaps and holes, and looking even, like the pattern pictures show. A nicely worked colourwork hat or mitts (or maybe even a larger piece like a blanket or sweater) is a dream of mine. Currently, when I knit with more than one colour, at the end of the project I have to "fix" it up a bit before giving it as a gift or wearing it ... the "fix" involves weaving the larger holes together and blocking, blocking, blocking, trying to make it not pucker or gape.

I received this book recently to review, and have been picking my way through it, absorbing tips, tricks and techniques of making beautiful colourwork in knitting.

"Mastering Color Knitting" by Melissa Leapman is a gorgeous book ... I am one who judges a book by its cover (if the cover of a knitting book doesn't show something interesting or colourful, or a project to aspire to, I figure why take the time to sit and read it? The best should be there, or at the very least, something that indicates what is inside) ... beautiful projects, all folded uniformly, featuring intricate looking colour work grace the front cover (and three projects covering a range of knitting projects (a hat, sweater and afghan) are on the back cover. Inspiration is there waiting to be had!

The book takes the reader along through the process of colourwork easily ... starting with how to read a chart (the basis of colourwork, and something that scares off a lot of potential multi-yarn knitter wanna-be's :) Like me!).

There are all sorts of handy tips that help beginners to colourwork ... how to add a new colour, how to carry colours when not in use, and how to reduce the number of tails left to weave in at the end of the project (by a technique of weaving them in as you go). There are also several pages on the principal of the colour wheel - very, very helpful if you are colour challenged like me (I know what colours I like, but then have a hard time with what to put with them to best highlight or accent them - the tips on the wheel have made me more confident in my colour choices).

The book is a set up well, with tons of photographs, drawings and text explanations of the techniques (difference between stranded knitting (best known as Fair Isle), Intarsia knitting, and the reversibility of double knitting).

Each colourwork technique has a description of how to do it, some history of how it came to be, a Designers Workshop which is essentially a lot (pages and pages!) of charts (over 50) that you can incorporate into a pattern you may already have in mind (so helpful!), and a Pattern Treasury of 4 patterns for projects featuring the technique (12 patterns total).

I love this book :)

The projects are actually things I would knit (a lot of books have impractical patterns ... things you would never really use). This is just a taste of what there is ....
Baby Blanket

Winter Warmer Scarf

Fleur De Lis Jacket (Isn't this gorgeous? and it has steeks!)

His and Hers Reflection Hat

Mastering Color Knitting was just released on Nov. 9th, so there aren't many pictures on the Internet yet, nor are there projects on Ravelry yet from the book ... but I guarantee this won't be the case for long! The inspiration Leapman provides with this book is hard to resist, and soon the knitting community will be posting pictures of their FOs of projects from this book!

A quickie at lunchtime

2010-11-03T12:19:00.003-03:00

got your attention eh? Get yer mind outta the gutter - this is just a fast post while I am home for lunch -- alone.

Finished these this week (finally! They'd have been done sooner, but I threw a monkey wrench into the works by knitting two pairs of Easy Peasy fingerless mitts in the middle of knitting them, thus abandoning the socks for days and days).

T mentioned a while back that he needs warm socks for work to wear in his work boots. So I knit him a brown pair which he loved ... then I cast on for these. Cast on 48, knit a 2x2 rib for 34 rows, then switched to knit every row to the heel (for about 30 rows). The heel is worked over 24 stitches in red. The yarn still makes my hands hurt (and there are no bamboo 3.75 mm dpns in town - haven't been anywhere else to look), so I don’t see T getting a full drawer of these anytime soon! I can’t get over how quickly these knit up … I can get from the cuff to the beginning of the heel done in an evening.

He tried them on and likes them, but thinks the leg is much tighter than the brown -- not sure why , they are knit the same other than the longer cuff (maybe that's it? it sits higher on his leg, so tighter?).

Anyhow - they are soaking in Eukalan now, and I am hoping the soak makes them "grow" ... hope is a good thing, eh?

New Skillz

2010-10-31T22:35:00.010-03:00

I have been reading online for quite some time about Freezer Paper Stencilling, and have been dying to try it ... I bought t-shirts and freezer paper back in September but haven't had a chance to have a go at it -- until today.

It is a lot of fun, and much easier than I thought. I made a shirt for someone I work with (he loves the movie "Run Fatboy Run", and has said for the past year or so that he'd love to have the main character's T-shirt - so I made him one).
It was my first crack at freezer paper stencilling, so not perfect by any stretch of the imagination! I learned a lot doing it though; number one learning was white and yellow text on a dark t-shirt = many, many, many .... many coats! (I stopped counting at 5, and more or less poured it on after the first 4 coats! I think that is why I have some bleeding of the paint) (clickedy the picture to embiggen). I'll gift it to him tomorrow at work (I am trying to work past being a perfectionist - it is the thought that counts - and I figure that the flaws aren't really big, coupled with the fact that I highly doubt I will ever do another stencilling project with that many letters in it again - what a PITA to cut them all out).

** Took it to work this morning, and he really liked it :) Yay!

When I finished, I was going to throw out the freezer paper letters I cut out for the shirt, then started playing around with them, thinking that I'd make a shirt for my husband T. And after a bit of fiddling around (I love word games)came up with something for my tractor lovin' man :)

He really likes it - and is quite impressed with my new mad skillz!

I on the other hand, am more impressed with the cost of his little "gift" ....

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T07:52:00.005-03:00

The pics ofthis year's jack o'lanterns turned out a bit blurry so -- here are last year's to help you get into the Halooween mood, if you aren't already :)

There is a reason they call them "Deadlines"

2010-10-30T09:33:00.006-03:00

I think it because you nearly kill yourself trying to meet them! I tend to be someone who thinks that there is really more hours in the day than there really are, and that I can knit much faster than I really can (some of you may remember Christmas debacles and knitting "fails" of the past) .. but this time, I really thought I had allowed enough time.

I found out last Friday that I needed to knit something for in a prize basket for our local Well Woman Clinic Day - the girls on the organizing committee had suggested that I knit socks like I did last year, but I knew I was coming into a very busy week at work, so I decided to knit a pink cowl (and that, for a change, I would actually try hard to find something in the stash that was suitable) I went home that very day, and ruffled through the stash bag of Patons SWS - and found what I remembered having ... a single lonely skein of Natural Pink (perfect for a prize for a clinic that was focusing on women's health and prevention of cancer) ... then after a relatively quick search (for a change) I found the perfect cowl pattern for this yarn (I was inspired by the cowl I received in a swap recently, so wanted to make one that buttoned). I started that every evening and finished on Sunday, then washed it on Monday. I was ahead of the game ..... all I needed to do after it dried was to sew on a button - one button! Score, right?

Ummm... there is knitting ADD in this house, so I cast on for a pair of fingerless mitts for a 13 year old boy who has been living with my BIL and his family for the past 7 weeks as a transfer student from Columbia. I waited until the cowl was washed, then cast on with Noro Silk Garden ... sooo soft and squishy, and knit away, finishing on Oct. 28th (not sure why I continued knitting after realizing halfway through the first mitt that they would be too small, but I knit until I was done!).

(sorry for the crappy picture - it was night, flash is horrible and it is really, really hard to take a picture of your own hands - even with a timer!)
Hoping that they would grow with blocking, into the wash they went ... with a little wish that they would be dry by Friday at suppertime (Lucas was leaving at 5 a.m. on Saturday, so I had a deadline with this project). Sadly ... only minimal growth when pulled from the soak.

On Thursday, I had a long drive as a passenger, so I started a second pair, same pattern (it is a really charming pattern, and knits up into a mitt with a really nice look and texture), but this time, on larger needles and with a more manly colour of Noro Kureyon. I finished last night at 8:30 p.m. and they were gifted without being washed

- I hope they fit him (they were at a hockey game until late, so I left the mitts on my doorstep for my BIL to pickup when he picked the kids up from the game). the .5 mm increase in needle size didn't really make much diffreence in the overall size of the mitts ... next time I knit this pattern, I am going for 5 mm needles.

I know I always say it ... but I really hate knitting with a deadline. There is no denying that it really gives a boost to the productivity, but wow! I was tied up in knitting all week! So busy that I totally forgot about the cowl (remember, the cowl that I had finsihed and dry in plenty of time for the gift basket?) ... I was frantically sewing on the button yesterday morning at 7:30 a.m., on my way out the door to the clinic. Anyone wondering why a number of my gifts don't have photos ... just think "deadlines".

A Good Mail Day

2010-10-21T07:49:00.007-03:00

After taking a swap break all summer, I stepped back up to the plate and am in two swaps this fall .... a few days ago, I had a great mail day

These wonderful goodies are from the Ravelry Swap "Favorite Colours 3" and the colour I requested to receive was purple (I love purple). KimLyn was my spoiler, and she did a great job (so many pretty purple presents! cute little yarn ball looking point protectors, ) ... do you see the lovely cowl she knit me?
I love it! She also sent a little purple butterfly notepad, Skittles, Mini Eggs, a crocheted washcloth and soap, a sweet project bag with little witches on it,

pretty wooden buttons, a purple gel pen and some gorgeous solid coloured purple sock yarn from Diamond Yarns Footloose line -- so soft and pretty (and will be lovely socks! I will look through Nova Knitter's sock FOs to get ideas - she does lovely work with solids and semi solids!).

It was a good mail day ... and over the past couple of days, I sent out some mail, hoping that people enjoy their Random Acts of Kindness gifts I made. I was a bit late getting them in the mail, but better late than never!

Work socks - aka Oh, My Aching Hands

2010-10-18T18:33:00.001-03:00

I finished a pair of work socks for my hubby on the weekend... I make a fair number of socks, they are one of my favorite things to knit, but these socks are different from most socks I knit. Usually, I make fingering weight socks, which take a long time for a large foot like my T has (and you know what they say about big feet -- yep, big ... socks!)

These ones are made of thick, rough and scratchy Briggs and Little Tuffy (and I think they chose the name wisely! LOL!). It knits up very fast because of the size/thickness of the yarn and having fewer stitches around the socks, but it makes my hands hurt, so I can't work on the socks for more than a half hour at a time, then I take a break. Lexa suggested bamboo needles might help, but I haven't made my way to the store to get a set. Soon!

I finished the first pair on Friday or Saturday - they are Cocoa, with Ecru and Red Mix stripes. He loves them, so the ache in my hands is worth it. :) (this is what I got when I asked him to "do something exciting with your feet" ... pretty darned exciting!)

I am currently working on a second pair. These are Greystone (which is actually a blue-green), with stripes on the cuff in Ecru, Cocoa and Greystone.

I sewed a bit today, and will show my results later in the week - I got a super-duper cool new sewing machine, because I was sick of my 25 year old Singer breaking all the time, and let me say, the new Brother is wonderful! I love it, and it is so easy to use :) I should have bought a new one years ago, but I am so glad I waited until now (this has a 1/4 inch foot, a zipper foot, a walking foot, a button sewing foot for sewing buttons on, a button holer and a bunch of swanky stitches that I have still got to figure out -- it is pretty neat, and I have a sore back from sewing all day today!). I will show pictures of my forays into sewing when I next post.(by the way - seriously, Walmart (of the Damned)(*phase courtesy of Marti, thanks ;)) has suddenly gotten rid of their fabric section - WTF?!?! my choices for buying fabric within a 50 km radius has now dropped to 2 stores)

Do you believe in vampires?

2010-10-17T10:44:00.011-03:00

I've always had a soft spot for vampires ... ever since I was a kid, the tales of Dracula, Lost Boys, Lestat and other soul-less bloodsuckers have been my 'go-to' movies and preferred books (one winter, I read EVERYTHING by Anne Rice).

So when I got the new book, "Vampire Knits: Projects to keep you knitting from Twilight to Dawn" I was very excited, but, I have to admit, a bit at a loss as to what might be in it aside from capes .... I mean, really, vamps are undead, coldblooded fiends - not really prime candidates for knitwear. I was also a little scared - nervous that it would be simply a tribute to the movies in the Twilight series (I was envisioning a bunch of reproduction knits of the mittens worn by Bella, scarves worn at the vampire ballgame, fingerless mitts worn by Alice or another character) ... and I've seen all those on Ravelry already (and am not a big Twilight fan - I prefer my vampires not to sparkle, thank you very much). I wanted something new!

This book is totally cool - it is not a tribute/reproduction book!

Written by Genevieve Miller, the book has 28 patterns created by a wide assortment of knitters (and a few crocheters - but not so many crocheted things as to turn off this die-hard knitter). It is laid out in such a neat way - the patterns are broken down in chapters devoted to different subcultures - Chapter one is called "Protect Me" and features patterns for protection from the undead (and I don't mean garlic infused scarves!) -- it has really cute fingerless gloves, cowls, and scarves to protect the pulse points. There is a chapter for the newly turned vampire (most feature homages to blood and bites - but are done in such a way that most casual observers wouldn't think it was unusual), there is a chapter on vampire dress (cloaks, long lace stockings, elbow length gloves ... and other dramatic fashion), there is a chapter that has household items and bags that serve as a holla to the movies (are you Team Edward or Team Jacob? Or just dying to say Bite Me?), and even a chapter that has some shape shifter patterns (I gotta say, the werewolf inspired hat is adorable, for adults and so cute for your little cub!).

Before I read the book, I wasn't sure if there would be anything I'd like to knit (I am a fan of vamps, but not a 'shout it from the rooftops' fan gal, and am not Goth, so had concerns that it would have nothing for me), but am so happy to say that there are so many projects that I'd love to make in this book ... the werewolf hat being only one - the pulse protectors are on my Christmas knitting list, and I WANT the Lore Hoodie. (isn't it pretty?!)

The photography in this book is fantastic ... the knitwear is flawlessly displayed and every project has more than one picture of it. As I was reading, I kept thinking that the designer of the book chose the perfect models, as each of the 3 or 4 models in the book has an old world look to them, beautiful and nearly deathly pale .. it all added to the illusion of the vampire. I also really enjoyed the "Tid-Bites" that came with nearly every pattern (bits of information about movie and tv vamps through time) and also lots of vampire folklore, which was interesting.

One other thing that I really appreciated in this book was the patterns' use of 'common' yarns ... a lot of books use yarns that aren't always easy to get, but most of the patterns in Vampire Knits use yarn that is both easy to get, and easy on the budget (Knit Picks, Bernat, Brown Sheep Lambs Pride, Cascade, Lion Brand, and other easy to get yarns). This helps to make the patterns a little easier to recreate at home.

From Spike of the popular Buffy the Vampire Slayer, to Dracula, Lestat, the Lost Boys and Dark Shadows, to the current favorite fella with fangs - Edward, this book takes the reader into the realm of vampires (and features some very nice knitwear). I enjoyed the book, and am anxious sink my teeth into a few of the patterns right away.

(Pictures are from the book, via Ravelry project pages)

A few Fos to show

2010-10-11T09:46:00.011-03:00

I am pretty sure I have been negligent in posting all my FOs on the blog, and can't figure out which projects have made it to the blog and which ones are missing, so this post is a catch up post (and hopefully, not too many duplicates or ommissions)

I finally finished my Mom's birthday socks (her birthday was April 19 - yeah, I am not a very good daughter)

I also have started my Christmas knitting and have completed some socks for the Christmas gift box (... recipients will be chosen later - so many of the people I give socks to are either a size 6 - 7 shoe, or a 8 - 9 shoe, so I just whip up a bunch of socks in those sizes and choose who gets what closer to the date)
These ones are knit from "One Your Toes" fingering weight, and knit on size 2.75 mm needles in less than a week of knitting. They are a 1 x1 twisted rib cuff, with a 2 x 2 ribbed leg and foot.

I've decided to work on my pile of UFOs , as they are taking over the house, and I am running out of storage space for them AND the stash. Something has to go, and I figured that it is easier to finish some Fos than it is to knit up the whole stash. So, I put a bunch of the UFOs in 2 large-ish baskets, and set them beside where I like to knit, and have been picking away at the baskets
... it is really a neat idea, this finishing what you start thing! LOL!

I finished T's surprise socks, ripping the toes and re knitting them ... now they fit!

I ripped and re knit his heavy green wool socks too .... but the leg is not long enough for his work boots, so I am trying to rip back from the cast on edge, and I am having trouble ... any tips on this? Help me please!

On Saturday, after I finished the toes of T's green work socks, but before I arsed up the ripping of the cast on edge, I went to my LYS and picked up 4 skeins of yarn to knit T some more heavy works socks ... Briggs and little Tuffy is really great for work socks, but a little hard on the hands ... my fingers ache, but I did get one sock done on Saturday, and cast on for the cuff of its mate on Sunday. I love these colours together ... and also bought a skein of a denimy blue as well to make another pair using the red and white as stripes (or maybe using the brown and white as stripes - who knows? I like the 4 colours together, so T could get some very colourful combos in his socks!).

I have a tonne of housework to get done today ... a total top to bottom clean and tidy, so I ought to get going now and get to it. I wanted to get the blog caught up, and I think I have. In the next day or two, pop back for a book review ... Vampire Knits is my latest read.

I came, I saw, I sold

2010-09-19T22:39:00.002-03:00

a pretty good time at the craft sale on the weekend ... my Mom, sister and I have been doing this sale for at least 6 years (I think it is more like 8 or 10 - but who's countin'?). It is always a great time hanging with my family, and the crowds are great there too. This year was no exception!

That's just my end of the table ... I always forget to take pictures at the sale, and Saturday morning took one picture of my stuff before the games began. My Mom makes pickles and sweet breads, and my sister is a painter. This year ... she made a beautiful wooden blanket box with a pasture scene painted on the top (gorgeous).

I'm so tired from the fun ... gonna go!

Round 2

2010-09-04T14:30:00.003-03:00

Second post for today (I am home by my lonesome) and second round of the jam making marathon! Today I made 26 jars of peach jam and yesterday I made 25 jars of peach jam ... I still have enough peaches for another batch, but it is stinkin' hot in my kitchen, so I am taking a break, puttin' my feet up and relaxin' :) speaking of feet, mine have been so swollen for the past week (it looks like Ihave no bones in my feet ... just puffy white marshmallows with toes stickig out of the ends). I suppose it is the heat, so I am hoping that the storm has taken away the heatwave we were having.

This Here's a Story 'bout a Hurricane

2010-09-04T08:36:00.005-03:00

We are in the midst of a hurricane watch ... Hurricane Earl is on its way with landfall expected somewhere near here. It is really windy and the dogs are refusing to go outside because of the rain and wind. (they are pretty cute, so I can't be mean to them and MAKE them go out)

I'm hoping it isn't too bad ... T is working today and I dread the thought of dealing with things if it gets really bad!

I am also planning to Jam again today (got 25 bottles made yesterday - 3 batches, and still have another 5 or 6 batches to go). I bought 25 lbs of peaches and want to use them all so they don't spoil ... that would be wasteful! Peach jam is yummy! I have a bunch of blueberries I should do up too, but they keep longer than peaches, so todayt is a peachy day :) Hopefully we don't lose power, and my jam making dreams will be dashed!

11 years ago today (at 12:30 p.m.), Tom and I were married. It doesn't seem that long ago! Normally, we go away on our anniversary, but he's working this year and can't get it off, so we'll likely have a nice dinner somewhere (if the hurricane doesn't have too much effect), and maybe go somewhere fun later in the week when he's off. I'm on vacation all week, and he's got 5 of the next 10 days off, so I'm sure we'll have some sort of adventure :)Perhaps a trip to Coffin Island (once the ocean has recovered from Earl), or a trip to the Valley ... who knows! T and I have a good time wherever we go!

I gotta go make jam!

Sunshine, lollypops and rainbows! (and Earl)

2010-08-28T07:31:00.010-03:00

Oh my gosh - this has been one of the best summers weather-wise that we've had in a long time! It has been sunny nearly every day since I can't remember when (at least since April!). We've only had a few days of rain, and for that I am grateful ... my job involves running programs for children outside and in outdoor swimming pools, so sunshine is always a good thing - rescheduling events is not much fun.

Today is another sunny day, part of a really weird heat-wave we've been experiencing ... temps. over the past few days have exceeded all record highs. It is oppressive, sticky and not easy to knit in as the wool sticks to your fingers.

There is supposed to be a hurricane coming this weekend (I am sure you've heard of it, unless you have been living in a cave! -- It is all over the news and Internet). Hurricane Earl is projected to hit Nova Scotia, possibly even our county. I'm hoping it isn't too bad, and that we don't lose power tomorrow while T is at work ... our basement will flood is the sump pump can't run! We live near the river.

I am officially on vacation ... I go back to work on the 13th ... And I am planning to do lots of things! Today I am making jam ... I bought 25 lbs of peaches and am jamming ... not the smartest thing to do, considering the heat, but I want to get it done, so I am taking lots of water breaks ... I have 2 batches done so far, and probably another 7 to go.

Last weekend, there was a local festival just down the road from me -- Queens County Seafest. My hubby, his brother and a few friends got up at 4:30 a.m. last Saturday to go fishing. There are lots of fun things to do there, music, food, crafts, and things for the kids ... I volunteered at the beer tent for a few hours with my sister (not sure why my face is snarled up like that ... I look cranky! Don't remember the picture being taken). I think I need to wear my glasses more ... I look cranky in this picture too ... and I wasn't. I think I squint and scrunch my face up so I can see and the result is the cranky pants look I have. The little cutie beside me is my niece ... and she was cranky ... a fine pair we make, eh!)

While T and his friends were fishing, he got bitten by a blue shark ... he stuck his hand in the sharks mouth to get the hook back, and the jaws clamped down on his hand, slicing 2 deep wounds in his index finger. 5 stitches and a tetanus shot later, and he's doing great. He says that Alexander Keith told him to stick his hand in there ... dumbass! LOL! He bled a lot, not sure if it was bleeding a lot because it was a hand wound or because it was deep .... but he bled right though that bandage on his hand. Ewww!

I have been knitting ... and am planning on a fair bit more knitting this week too. I have 4 purses knit for the craft sale on Sept. 18 & 19, but they aren't felted, so don't look like much ... sorry - no pics!

Not sure what day of the week it is?

2010-08-21T10:35:00.007-03:00

Well, it must be "Several Post Saturday" ... seems like the only time I get a chance to blog is Saturdays when T is at work (if he's home, we are usually out and about - doing chores or on an adventure). This is my third post of the day, so it must be Saturday!

Last Saturday, we went fishing in the ocean, and then overnight to Coffin's Island. We took Brucie and Duffy but I didn't get any pictures other than of T fishing.

While we were there, I did some knitting, which I finished off yesterday or the day before (in the summertime, time blends into itself)

These are my Vanilla Camo socks, made of Patons Kroy FX yarn, in the Camo Colours colourway, with Kroy in Flax for the heels, toes and cuffs. As usual, knit on 2.75 mm needles and my usual pattern for vanilla socks. I tried to get them knit from a single ball of the Camo colour, but ran out with about an inch to go in the toe (a common occurrence lately).

They are about a size 6 - 7 ladies, and I am not sure who they will be for, but they will go in the Christmas pile,as most of the women in the family and my friends seem to have a size 6 or 7 foot. I love the colours in these socks, and think the Flax matches quite well. I am certain, though, that it is impossible to get a matching pair out of any of the FX colours ... it looks like they are put together in a random way.

I also have been knitting some for the craft sale in September (not much yet though, and I have to get my arse in gear ... will my wrists forgive me?). I made another of the False Fair Isle hats by Amy King, this time in Patons Classic Wool (Orchid)for the main colour and using scraps of Noro colour 90 for the patterned bits. This hat is also in size small, and should fit a child up to about ages 9. No cute model this time (my niece was on a trip when this was taken).
Shoot - I just noticed that the picture has my "starting point' in it, and I didn't use a jogless join ... ah well, it is pretty!

Git 'er done!

2010-08-21T09:57:00.004-03:00

A few weeks ago (maybe months, who's counting, eh?), I posted that I had some Single Socks that I wanted to get out of my project bag ... a little bit of time and dedicated knitting (a few other projects crept in while I was working on them, but at least I got back to the socks!), and check out the end products ...

These ones are Nearly Normal socks ... knit from Patons Kroy Stripes, Burnished Sierra colourway, on size 2.75 mm needles in a 3 x 1 rib for the majority of the sock, but a 2x2 rib for the cuffs - and a regular strong heel. I started these when my BIL was in hospital over Christmas and new years, and had them nearly done when he got out in early January. When I piked them up again, I figured it would be close in the amount of yarn I had - and I was right -- ran out with just a smidge to do at the toes, and even though I had the scraps from the first sock, and scraps form a pair I made T in the same colourway, I couldn't find any orange to finish them off, so these socks are a perfect match but for the last inch of the toes - Nearly Normal!

These were started for my Dad's birthday (March 31) - but I had started them in plenty of time to get them done - or so I thought. His B-day has come and gone, but ... until yesterday, i still had toes to graft. These are made of On Your Toes sock yarn, in the Most Boring Colourway in the World, and were pretty darn boring to knit unless I was in the dark ... seriously. Knit on my usual 2,75 mm needles, cast on 76, with a 2 x 2 ribbed cuff and stocking stitch for the rest. I did an EOP heel (birthday gifts are supposed to be swanky, eh?) . T has been admiring them since I finished the first sock of this pair ... now I am not sure what to do (my dad has never asked for socks and when I mention them, he curls up his nose, remembering the scratchy, thick Briggs & Little woolies his mom used to knit him - my socks are different! I'll hold off gifting them to either of them for a while until I decide (they are size 11/12 - not to be gifted in haste!)

Still no progress on the Circle Socks (can't find the ball of yarn in the right colourway - I stashed it somewhere, but goodness knows where!) or the Pink and green Monkey ( I don't want to rip - but don't have enough yarn to make a second sock - oh the choices are not good!).

I have knit a bit on Mom's second birthday sock, but am not yet to the heel of the second sock, so it could still end up not done for a while.

I'll post later on some other projects that have been jumping in and taking time away from the single sock completion project ... I must have a concentration problem, s'all I'm sayin'!

Blue

2010-08-21T09:44:00.007-03:00

Life in a blueberry orchard

Extreme Makeover: the Former Beauty Edition

2010-08-14T08:07:00.000-03:00

I think for a makeover to be a good one, the one being made over needs to have good bone structure, nice features, a good shape and some potential for beauty, otherwise, the makeover team have nothing to work with, the makeover is an epic failure, and the reveal is a let down.

These plain Janes were showing their age; having once been the popular girls, they were starting to look a bit run down, tired and a rough around the edges. They were showing the effects of a life well lived ... but still had a lot of good years left to in them!

They could use a bit of TLC, and a bit of colour ... Extreme Makeover: the Former Beauty Edition to the rescue!

Our team evaluated the situation, checked the girls over, and saw that all they really needed was a pep talk and a dash of colour to bring them into the 21st century! They have personality plus, they just need to know how to show it off ... and they'll be the hit of the summer party circuit!

After hours of work, in which the girls were treated to a soak, exfoliation, and some concealer to start to process, they were then taken to wardrobe, where they had their colours done so each would know which season suits them best (not surprisingly, they had been wearing the wrong colours) - they are both Summers! ,

finally, the big reveal!

Transformation: from plain Janes, worn and frazzled to classic beauties, with a modern edge!

Farmers Market

2010-08-07T11:40:00.016-03:00

Last weekend, we decided to have an adventure, so T and I got up really early and drove to Halifax for the Alexander Keith's Brewery Market. It happens every weekend, and is a HUGE farmers market ... and last weekend was the final weekend for most of the vendors, as there is a new market built, opening this weekend. Apparently there is some discord amongst the vendors, some want to go to the new market, others don't want to go. T and I wanted to go for one final time, all under one roof!

It was fun .. we bought cheese and garlic blooms, bought our breakfast and lunch there too (my pictures aren't very good, sorry!) We had crepes for breakfast (mine was banana, honey and chocolate, and T had a ham, egg and onion one). Ahh they are the stuff of dreams!

For lunch we at at one of the Chinese food booths, and enjoyed some dim sum - pork dumplings, veggie dumplings, pork buns, pork shishkabob, and a sesame bun thingy with spicy bean curd (didn't catch the name of it, but OMYGoSH it was good! Need another one of those sometime soon!) Didn't get a picture of the chinese food ... too busy scarfing it down! :)

Anyhow, the pics I did manage to take while I wasn't eating are pretty self explanatory (flowers, food, chocolate, veggies, knit ware and more!)

Monthly post

2010-08-07T09:16:00.011-03:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a long time ... seems like I have been doing monthly posts, but it hasn't been intentional - it has been really hectic lately, with little time to post.

I have got some knitting accomplished, though ... hats have been on the agenda because even though it's been hotter than I can stand, someday soon it will be cold and snowy ... and we'll need hats!

I found a really cute pattern for a slouchy beret and have knit a couple of those (modelled by my sweet-one-more-day-until-her-8th-birthday-niece).

They are made from Patons Classic Wool and are in colours Plum Heather (the plum/burgundy one) and Wisteria (the mauve one). They turned out pretty cute, so I am working on another in the same yarn in New Denim. They use nearly a full ball, and are fun to make - every few rows, I lay it on my lap and stroke it - the cables are so pretty :) .

I also found this pattern by Amy King ... and adore it!

Knit it in the smaller size with nearly a skein of Noro Kuyeon (colour 90) and a scrap of Patons Classic Wool in Leaf Green. It is quite small (fits my niece). If I were to knit it for me, I'd definitely make the large. To use up the leftovers of the Noro, I cast on a second hat in size small, this time using one of the new colours of Classic wool (Orchid) as the main colour, and the scrap Noro for the Fair Isle contrast ... turning out cute, but haven't worked on it much. Soon I will pick it up and finish it.

Later chickies!

Forward

2010-07-03T08:42:00.005-03:00

Pay it Forward ... an interesting concept, and one that has swept through the blog world, generating random acts of kindness around the world.

I am taking part in a PIF exchange, and just received my handmade gift in the mail ... John from Quiltdad sent me a lovely scarf he made, along with a charm pack from Moda fabrics. He did a lovely job on the scarf, and the fabrics in the charm pack are beautiful :) Just my style, all of it!

Thanks John, you have made my day, my week, and maybe even my month!

I am still finishing off the handmade gifties for the three people I am paying it forward with, and will post pictures once I finish their gifts and they receive their parcels.

Fair weather

2010-07-03T08:26:00.006-03:00

This weekend is the weekend of one of our community's biggest festivals ... Privateer Fays, so there is a lot going on, and lots to do!

Sat. morning there was a parade, and I am part of a team that coordinates the float that my workplace puts in the parade. Our theme this year is "Queens County: Four Seasons of Fun" .. and our float was a lot of fun to build :) We had a snowman, gardening, fishing, playing at the beach kite flying all featured, all things that anyone of any ability could do. We won 2nd place in the non-commercial category (first time in years we've won a prize for this parade ... lots of floats enter, and the competition is stiff!)

There were a lot of floats, marching bands and entertainment in the parade (but because I am in the parade, I didn't get to see much other than what was near us!) It is always a lot of fun, and the parade route is always packed with spectators!!

This year, after the parade was over, the RCMP brought in their helicopter and landed it in the downtown ... people could go see it, and I think a few people got to go for a ride ... pretty exciting!

The fair is in town for the festival ... a midway with some rides, concessions (cotton candy, candy apples ... mmmm!) and games of skill and chance (chance more so than skill, from what I saw! LOL!)all set up in the park near my house.

My nephews went on the Bouncy inflatables for a while, and had a great time.

The festival is a lot of fun, and goes on until Sunday, when it concludes with fireworks ... good times :)

Strong and free!

2010-07-01T07:41:00.006-03:00

Happy Canada Day! I am sitting here, wearing my Old Navy Canada Day t-shirt, and am getting ready to go out to work on the float that my employer puts in the Privateer Days Parade on Saturday. It should be a pretty fun weekend, with Canada Day celebrations today and Privateer Days starting tomorrow! My sister and her husband and kids are coming to Liverpool tomorrow for the festivities, and I think my brother in law and his wife and my niece are coming over to my house tonight for the Canada Day fireworks. A busy, fun weekend is in store :)

I hope you have a great Canada Day too!

One is the Loneliest Number

2010-06-27T12:30:00.011-03:00

I was going through my UFOs the other day, and realized that since my shoulder has been not well, I've been on a starting-but-not-finishing jag; each and every one of the photos below is a sock that I have started since Christmas... proving the point that one is the loneliest number:

I'll continue to pick away at them, but from where I sit, even though it looks like a lot of knitting ahead, it also looks like there will be a couple of Christmas presents at the end of this mountain of single socks:) These are only socks started in 2010 - there is still a sizable pile of single socks from 2009 and prior ... but I'll get to them soon ;)

Let's try this again

2010-06-18T06:06:00.009-03:00

I needed a blog break ... its been a bit hectic around here lately, so I stopped blogging. I haven't anything new to show knitting wise either, as I have frozen shoulder and have not been able to knit. It is pretty dull around here in that respect!

I am also having camera trouble (again!) -- the new camera has all the pictures that I had taken for this post on it, but won't let me download them to the computer ... so this post has been sitting waiting (all written and ready to go for over a week), waiting for the camera to get over its snit and give me the pictures ... it doesn't look like that is going to happen, so you get a pictureless (for now anyhow - I will add them whenever the camera releases the hostages). ** fixed now, and pictures added :)

Prior to my shoulder being really bad, I had been working on a few projects ... since the last "Dishcloths of 2010" update, there have been another 14 make it to the pile (bringing my annual total to over 30 so far). (if you only count 13 in the picture - there is a mauve one that I knit but gave away in the winterwithout taking a picture).

I tried my first Monkey sock by Cookie A., and really enjoyed it ... pretty eh?

Unfortunately ... not enough yarn left for a second sock, gahgh hurumph!

So now what to do? rip it and try a less yarn consuming pattern, knit a pseudo matching sock but use green yarn for heels, toes and cuff, or knit a pseudo matching sock but throw in a stripe of green periodically, or rip it and make a pair of Monkeys with green heels, toes and cuffs? I hate the thought of ripping a completed sock ... it used 600 grams and there are 300 grams left in the ball; it is a Fleece Artist Mill end, so I doubt there is another ball like it out there that I could buy to finish a second sock (T keeps suggesting that ... can't you just buy more? I wish I could, if only to make the Monkey stop staring at me!).

I started a pair of socks for my mom's birthday (back in April), but no progress at all since the end of April. They'll be pretty when they are done.

In the few moments that I have been able to knit, I whipped up two Jayne Hats that I think I will send one of them to T's aunt in Newfoundland; she owns a company that makes clothing based on scifi movies and tv shows(Dr. Who, Firefly, and a bunch of others), and sells the replicas to the public, and on a recent visit she showed me her company's "Brown Coat" coat based on the coat worn by Jayne Cobb in the Firefly tv show. She was talking about the show, and said she loved it, and that people even knit the hat from the show , and that she'd love to have one ... a minute on Ravelry, and poof! found the pattern, and whipped up a Jayne hat for her ... then, because it was fast and kinda cute and I had leftover yarn, I whipped up another one. All that's left to do for # 2 to be done is the pom pom to be made, and then to sew the poms on both hats :) Lucky for me it is still too warm for an earflap hat ;)

That's all I have for now ... hopefully I will be back soon (I will try to blog at least weekly, even when it is hectic here!). (** and even more hectic because of the camera terroising me!) (now fixed - after an hour long "chat" with a Kodak tech on line! but realized I hadn't taken all the pictures I thought I had! So now I have taken more pictures, added them to the post ... and I think we are even staeven now :)

another book review, this time -- SOCKS!

2010-05-15T19:40:00.004-03:00

I love hand knit socks, love them! They are easily my most favorite thing to knit ... fairly quick, easy, and very useful (and comfy too!). I love sock patterns, and figuring out a new way to make a sock is pretty exciting for me. I love all the colours available in sock yarn and have quite a stash ... which I have plans to whittle down over the next little while.

"The Sock Knitters Workshop" by Ewa Jostes and Stepahnie van der Linden is a well laid out book (with lots of top down patterns, and a few top up), that should be helpful in my goal ... the first half of the book focuses on sock construction, and the second half is a plethora of really unique patterns.

I've knit socks for a few years now, and figured I knew a lot about socks, but this book threw me a few cuff styles I hadn't seen or tried before (twisted garter cuff - which is like a spiral at the top of your sock? wow! cute! and I am going to use it next time I knit a pair of socks for one of my nieces ... so pretty!) ... they have 13 (yes! 13!) cuff variations. That hooked me!

I really like reading about how socks are constructed and figuring out the best construction for my feet (or whoever I am knitting for - T has a really big, wide, long foot ... and the toe I traditionally knit for all my socks does not fit him, so I was also exited to see a whole bunch of different types of toes, accompanied by charts with stitch counts for every size shoe from children up to large men ... here's hoping that I have knit and ripped and re knit my last toes for T -- these charts could be my salvation :)

The patterns are really unique with a lot of different techniques to try - entrelac, mosaic, cables, chevron, lace and interesting uses of ribbing. Nice patterns, pretty pictures, using yarns I have in my stash -- I am inspired.

Once my sore shoulder gets better (they think I have frozen shoulder - man does it hurt when I move it :( ), I am going to knit a pair or two from the book ... Ribs and cables and Anatomical Socks are on my to do list. Hopefully, my arm is back in the swing of things soon.

Back

2010-05-15T18:05:00.005-03:00

wooh ... it sure has been a long time since I last posted (and about that, sorry! It has been hideous here, but I am not making any more excuses -- I will try to fit in at least a weekly blog from now on!).

Lemme see, what have I been doing?

I got a few new knitting books, so that's what the next few blog posts will be about.

I got "One Ball Knits: Gifts" because I am often lured in by a pretty skein of yarn, buy one ball (so as to break the spell of the pretty yarn) and then realize that I have no idea what to knit from it. There are a lot of lonely single skeins around my home, and I want to declutter! And if I end up with a few nifty things for me, or a nice Christmas present in the process, all the more reason to have the book!

I own a couple of books that feature patterns for knits from one skein or ball or yarn ... and to be frank, most of them feature quite a few patterns that make me think "why would anyone ever knit that?". So I was a bit worried that this book would have a bunch of those kinds of patterns ... it has one or two patterns that make me think that (but really, its a personal taste thing ... I am not one to use knitting as a table accessory, and its unlikely I will use starch! And the idea of covering a vase with a knitted slipcover doesn't do anything for me either, but again, it is a personal taste thing!).

Overall, I really like the book ... it has a section that talks about the importance of handmade gifts (which warmed my heart - I love to make and receive handmade gifts :) ), as well as a section that talks about yarn weights, knitting techniques and tools you will need for the projects ... and one of the tools is a conversion chart for knitting needles sizes (US and metric) -- I am always looking for one!

Then there are the patterns! The patterns really, really excited me! All sorts of useful items to make and give -- coasters, tea cosy, hot water bottle cover, pillows, an earflap hat, scarf, gloves, and a bunch of felted projects (laptop bag, slippers, knitting needle roll) and the most adorable baby sweater I've seen in a long time :)

The book jacket promises "20 stylish designs made with one single ball, skein, hank or spool" ... and I can definitely see myself knitting 15 - 18 of the 20 patterns provided. The yarns used are all common ones that people to pick up - Noro, Blue Sky Alpaca, Crystal Palace Panda Cotton, Brown Sheep Lambs Pride, Bernat satin Sport, Berrocco Comfort, Patons Classic Wool, Brown Sheep Nature Spun and BS Nature Spun Worsted, Austerman Step Classic Sock, Lion Brand Baby Soft ... all of these yarns are common in stashes, or easy to substitute -- and the authors provide yardage and weight for substitution yarns for every pattern!! So very helpful! :)

I can see that this book will be used a lot ... it is a good find!

Turn your head sideways ...

2010-03-30T20:14:00.002-03:00

baby bunny
Originally uploaded by HeddyD

there, now you can see the picture as I intended it to be. My photo software is fighting with me ... so sideways it stays!

This little bunny hat is for my friend who takes pictures. The pattern is by Susan Anderson, from her book Itty Bitty hats. A really well written pattern, I must say. When I looked at the pattern, I thought -- aww, cute, but probably difficult. But it is written in a really easy to understand way, and it just flew by.

the yarn is Bernat Cotton Tots in "Pretty in Pink" colourway, and I am fairly sure I used 4.5 mm dpns to knit it.

I played with this one a lot before taking it to my friend (I might make another one, and find a random baby to give it to - I like the pattern that much!)

Green Sprout

2010-03-30T20:10:00.002-03:00

Green Sprout
Originally uploaded by HeddyD

yep -- another baby hat, another one made from Fleece Artist Olann (what can I say, I like the stuff!). This wee green one is pretty tiny (probably for a newborn - 3 months) and the pom pom is nearly as big as the hat!

Rose and tan with ribbon and pom pom

2010-03-30T20:08:00.002-03:00

Rose and tan with ribbon and pom pom
Originally uploaded by HeddyD

There seriously is no other way to describe this wee hat, other than the title of this post. well ... other than to cal it "so sweet it makes my ovaries ache!" , and that doesn't flow well. It isn't cute because I knit it .. please don't think I am boasting about my knitting abilities! It is cute because it is so wee, and yet so grown up.

Details ... this hat is based on the Purl Dreams Hat pattern by Thelma Egberts, and is knit with drops Eskimo prints yarn in a colourway with a number (I prefer Rose and tan with cream). This little hat is also knit for my photographer friend.

Tiny Tassles

2010-03-30T20:02:00.004-03:00

square tasseled
Originally uploaded by HeddyD

it is hard to tell from pictures how big something is ... this wee hat is sized for a 3 month old baby (and made as a photography prop for a friend of mine who takes baby pictures).

I love everything about it1 the colour, the yarn (Fleece Artist Olann -- knits up to a beautiful firm yet soft fabric). I can't recall any of the details, except I think I used 4 mm needles ... if you have the burning need to know when I knit it, check my Ravelry projects (I am lazy!)

I also knit another one just like this, but a bit bigger ... the colour of the unphotographed one (also for my photographer friend was very pretty ... purple, cream and brown striped. The yarn was also Olann, and again - bad blogger - I have no memory for the details. But I do remember that the unphotographed one was made with pom poms, instead of tassels.

My photographer friend loved them, and is building quite a sizable baby hat collection!

Cranking out the Christmas presents!

2010-03-30T19:56:00.002-03:00

4 dishcloths
Originally uploaded by HeddyD

They may be small, but they make great Christmas gifts, stocking stuffers and "just because" gifts ... and I have been clicking away, making dishcloths in my spare time.

These 4 (Bernat Handicrafter in a variety if colours (all from the stash, I might add -- yay me!) bring my total for the year to date up to 17. The whit, orange and yellow/orange/white one is for me! I couldn't resist (and I need a new spring like dish cloth :) )

Grinning from Ear to Ear!

2010-03-20T09:45:00.004-03:00

I am someone who isn't nuts about winter - I don't get excited about snow (unless it is the first one of the season, or at Christmas), have a deep dislike of the cold, and really am not crazy about the shorter days and decreased sunlight that comes in the Winter. So - needless to say, I am quite happy that Spring appears to be coming. And I have evidence of it, and hope that Mother Nature isn't trying to play an evil trick on me!

Evidence the first - there is not one spot of snow in my yard ... not one! There is no mound of dirty, icy, hard mostly white stuff in sight anywhere in town! Whoo hoo!

Evidence the second - last weekend was "time change weekend" - I sprung all the clocks forward, and now wake up to sunshine (at 6:45 a.m.) and it is just starting to get dusky at about 7:45 p.m. YAY! Love the longer days!

Evidence the second -- I live on the route of the major walking trail in our community, and over the past two weeks, the traffic past my house has increased dramatically -- bikes, walkers, runners, and people pushing baby carriages. And Let me comment on the number of people pushing strollers -- wowsers! the baby/toddler set are out in force - practically every other person out and about on foot is a wee one in a stroller, and rarely are the moms, dads or grandparents alone -- the day before yesterday it was like a baby parade (4 strollers in a row). And the walkers, runners and stroller crews start their trek on the trail as soon as the sun goes up and continue for a few hours after the sun goes down because ...

Evidence the third -- it is getting WARMER!!!! Yesterday, it was 13 degrees Celsius! Our nighttime temps are hovering around the freezing point, enough to give frost on the car windows, but not enough to make the ground frozen ... lovely! and because the frost has come out of the ground ...

Evidence the fourth ... Spring has Sprung, the flowers have riz!

signs of Spring!
Originally uploaded by HeddyD

and when you go outside, you can smell all the Springness in the air!

Red Fish, Blue Fish (well, pink is close to red, right?)

2010-03-14T11:18:00.003-03:00

Fish for S
Originally uploaded by HeddyD

I started this Fish Hat (pattern by Thelma Egberts) back on Nov. 15, finished knitting it on Nov. 16, and put it away to sew the felt eyes on later ... well, Christmas came and went, and our poor little nephew S didn't get a hat for Christmas. After knitting the Pink Perch the other day and realizing just how fast the eye go on, I picked it up last night and sewed the eyes on.

Part of the reason I held back on doing this simple little thing at Christmas was because I had planned to give hats to Baby O and Jack, S and his sister A, and I ran out of time to get A's hat done, and you can't give something to one sibling without having something to give the other - just isn't good Auntie protocol!! Christmas at my house was hectic at best (my BIL was in hospital for nearly 3 weeks), and I just ran out of knitting mojo, so A's hat sat languishing in the WIP basket.

Anyhow, the mojo has been back for a while, and I decided that since I have begun the knitting for Christmas 2010's hats (pictures soon, I promise!), that I really should finish up the loose ends and give the hats for Christmas 2009!

I pulled A's hat out of the WIP basket, and saw that when I left it, all I had left was to knit the 3 fins, weave in all the ends (and there were a lot of them!!), and to sew on the eyes. All told about an hour's work, so I started last night and got everything done, but one eye which I finished sewing on this morning.

We will gift them this afternoon ... it is a cold day today, despite the Spring like weather we've had over the last 2 weeks -- maybe the kiids will get to wear them a few times before next Winter comes!

Details:
Knit on 4.5 mm dp needles
assorted yarns -- for S's hat I used Patons Decor in red for the lips, Navy Decor for the head, Bernat Jacquards in Blue Jean for the body, and Sandnes Garn Pefect in a denim blue for the tail and fins.

For A's hat, I used Sandnes Garn Perfect for the lips annd a few stripes, perfect in Lime for the head, some stripes and some of the fins, Patons Decor in Teal for some stripes and Decor in Rich Aubergine for the stripes and tail, and Patons Classic wool for the top fin and the detail on the side fins.

The eyes on each are craft felt, sewn on with white thread for a rustic feel and durability.

Pink Perch

2010-03-11T12:57:00.001-04:00

Fish Tank
Originally uploaded by HeddyD

There is a new addition to our tanks ...

Seriously though, made this hat for my Mom for a little girl she knows. I hope she likes it!

It has become a bit of an Obsession

2010-02-26T16:32:00.003-04:00

stocking hat
Originally uploaded by HeddyD

Thsi baby hat thing, for my friend the photographer, has become an obsession for me ... she wants unusual hats, and cute too, for babies from just a few days old to those who are just turning one. It's been a lot of fun making them (lots of giggling at the pure cuteness of a weee hat - not bragging, just anything "that" tiny is adorable!)

This hat is made from Sandnes Garn's Alpha, in colourways that only have numbers (boring! so I am not writing them here -- I prefer "Spring Green" and Tormented Teal". The pattern is Purl Dreams hat -- which is the same pattern as the one I made in multicolours, with the purple bow -- I made several mods to make this a stocking hat.

Can't wait to see it on a real live newborn - perhaps pictures will follow!

I also made her a schwankyfringie balnkie for posing the little ones on ... that was a hoot to make, and used more novelty yarns than should be allowed in any one place at a time!!

Funny ...

2010-02-26T16:23:00.002-04:00

Olympic Effort second time knit
Originally uploaded by HeddyD

how just a few stitches difference can make a yarn knit up totally different, eh?

I started working on this cowl -- I forget the pattern name (its in my Ravelry projects) during the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, and had it nearly done later the next day ... but it was enormous and I ran our of wool before it was done! So I ripped the whole thing, and cast on the smaller size ... it is also too big for me, but there was enough wool, so for now, It is ocnsidered done, until I have the energy, and good spirits to rip the whole thing again, to make it the right size.

notice how different the two versions are? I am anxious to see what the third, even smaller version looks like!

The yarn is a Fleece Artist special, and is soooo smooshy and nice, that knitting it twice was no problem! Twice as nice, you might say!

Wee White one!

2010-02-26T16:15:00.002-04:00

White scullcap
Originally uploaded by HeddyD

Another hat for my photographer friend ...this one turned out so wee (I am not even sure it will fit a brand new baby). She is tryting it out this weekend, so hopefully I'll get some feedback on what it fits like and how much bigger it needs to be.

The yarn was in my stash ... no ball band.

cabled cutie

2010-02-26T16:13:00.001-04:00

cabled cutie
Originally uploaded by HeddyD

Another hat from Jil Eaton's Pipsqueak Knits ... this one is knit in Patons Shetland Chunky Iin Aran colour. A photographer friend of mine has been adding to her props for taking baby pictures, and is so excited that I am a knitter! I am hoping that she will send me a picture or two of this hat on a little person. This was really a fun knit, and really fast too - cranked this one out one evening after work :)

A Wee FO

2010-02-26T16:03:00.003-04:00

bubbles supa close
Originally uploaded by HeddyD

I've been knitting merrily away over the past few weks, making baby hats ... this one is Bobbles from the Jil Eaton book Pipsqueaks ... I made it with Kertzers Accent Worsted in Aran colour.

A very quick knit, and even cuter in person -- I wish I could see it on a baby's head! Ahh well, 2 of my cousins have had new babies in the past month, so it will be a gift (and hopefully, I'll get a picture of a baby wearing it).

Lovely Lavender "Lympic Socks Finished

2010-02-26T15:41:00.006-04:00

Lavender finished
Originally uploaded by HeddyD

I haven't been blogging much lately - whoopsie! been caught up in the Olympics ... and knitting up a storm! These were finished today - Lovely Lavender socks, made from Kroy Jacquards on 2.75 mm needles. I used my standard pattern - cast on 64, eye of patridge heel and and standard toe.

I really like them, and haven't taken them off since I took the picture! The colours are really subdued, and soft, but I have been a fan of lavender since I was a kid, so I guess that's why I am so enamoured of them.

I started them as something to knit during "Shutter Island" == awesome movie by the way, good twists and turns in the plot! - anyhow, I got a lot done during the movie (note to knitters - it is bright enough of a film that you can still see your hands and needles, should ypu goof and drop a bunch of stitches off in the dark). Time in - February 19 - February 26, 6 days.

A gold medal for Team Canada in the Ravlympics!

Flickr

2010-02-26T15:34:00.001-04:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Wee FOs

2010-02-12T17:59:00.009-04:00

I've been knitting a bit since the New Year , although you'd never know it from my blog or Ravelry - I just haven't been in a picture taking mood, but tonight on my way home, I picked up some ribbon to put the finishing touches on something I had just finished knitting.

Taa Dahhhh!

This wee wonder is knit from Sandnes Garn's Eskimo, and the pattern is Purl Dreams from Heirloom Stitches. Before anyone starts thinking anythings up that I haven't told you ... it is for a friend of mine, not me!

I also liked the Cowled and frosty Morning pattern I knit for T so much that I knit 3 more cowls in smaller sizes for our 3 nephews.

These were knit from Patons Shetland Chunky, and I'm too lazy to get up and look for the ball bands, so I am guessing when I say barn red tweed and charcoal tweed for the colours. The kids got them as Valentine's presents, but really, they are intended to keep the boys all safe - scarves on kids are so dangerous, cowls are a bit less hazardous!

I also knit a few more dishcloths - but T deleted the pictures I had taken a week ago, and again - too lazy to get up and take another picture! I've knit 11 of the Grandmothers favorite pattern, and 2 in a feather and fan pattern from the ball band of one of the big 1 pound balls.

There's more too - just have to track it down (things like partially finished socks aren't very exciting, but that's what I've been working on!)

Anyhow -- I am off to gather the knitting needles, yarn and supplies that I'll need for the Kntting Olympics ... I am knitting the Cozy cabin cardigan in Noro Kureon (spelling?) in colour 172. Wish me luck :)

Let the Games begin (but not until I am ready!)

Certainly is Cowl'd outside!

2010-01-31T17:34:00.005-04:00

It sure was cold outside over the past few days, and because I love a pun, I present "No More Cowl'd Mornings" ...

My BIL gave me money for Christmas to go and buy yarn - I found a little skein of nice Fleece Artist mill end in a chunky weight at LK Yarns and planned right from the start to make my tractor driving, outdoors lovin’ husband a cowl (I made him a wool hat a few years ago, and he wears it every time he snow plows, on every hunting trip and if it is cold and he’s in the woods, the ‘hard working hat’ is on his head). I figured since the hat was well received (and much loved), that a warm cozy cowl would be loved too (silly man never wears a scarf, and always says that is neck and face get cold driving in the boat or on the tractor). Heddy to the rescue!

cast on Jan. 31 – done before supper on Jan. 31. Gotta love a quick turnaround time :)

not dead - just busy!

2010-01-30T12:18:00.005-04:00

Wow! 20 days since I last posted ... and I can't think of a thing to say, or remember much that I have been knitting. Hmmm - I'm not really very good at this blog thing, eh?

Lets see ... I have been helping my 7 year old niece learn to knit (she is a natural, by the way - like a duck in water!), and her mom wanted to relearn so she and my niece would have something fun to do together (my SIL used to knit a bit, but hasn't touched the needles in 13 years) ... she is really catching on fast, too! We started with a dishcloth, the diagonal ones, with the YOs that go up each side. She cast on her first one last Saturday afternoon, and when I was at her house last night for supper, she showed me the 3 dishcloths she has completed so far ... and the scarf she cast on as well! It is really exciting to help someone learn who really enjoys it - and, of course, to draw another knitter into the fold!

UMM... of course, helping my SIL learn to knit dishcloths meant I would work on one with her (you know, team knitting - helping), so I am back on a dishcloth jag. I didn't get into the jag until Wednesday night when I went up to help her with a problem she had with her decreases, and -- this morning I cast on my 5th dishcloth. I am hoping to be able to stop at 6, but realize that with my track record, it may not happen until I hit 8 or 10. I have a compulsive personality, but at least it allows me to have a stockpile of gifts, and will take the pressure off next Christmas when I normally am scrambling to make a few cloths. I've been working through my cotton stash - used the remains of a big ball of Handicrafter in pink, orange, yellow (Playtime is the colourway, I think), and have made a dent in 2 other big balls I have (blue/tan/cream - By the Sea, and purple, teal, white - not sure of the colourway) ... this is a good thing - storage is a premium at my house and dishcloths at least store flat and take up way less space than full balls of cotton ;)

I've also been making Shrek hats again ... 2 knit so far, and one more hopefully soon. They are knit in Benat Chunky in Grass colourway.

I whipped up a couple of pairs of felted ballet/Mary Jane style slippers from a Patons booklet I have had for a while (I think it is "Felted Gifts"). The first time I knit the slippers, I misread the pattern, and screwed them up badly -- really short (I hope when I felt them they will fit a child, but they may be too wide for that (live and learn!). I am waiting to get another item or two done before I felt these, and once I do - felted pics will be posted.

Socks have been on my needles - a pair for my Dad's birthday in March, and a pair for me ... both are slow going as I haven't had a lot of time to work on them.

I also started a Minion at Knit Nite a few weeks ago (then promptly put him down and forgot about him, but he doesn't need much more work before he can be consideered a FO ... no pictures until he is done.

I think that's all I've been up to knitting wise. More later! Next time I post, there will be more photos. Promise!

Does it Count as a FO if it is going to be frogged?

2010-01-10T14:17:00.007-04:00

GRRRRR ...
just finished these socks for T, and was ready to kitchener the toes, so figured I'd try them on for fun. Not fun! they fit me, not a huge footed fella. Crap! off to the frog pond they go.
Pattern: Heavy Socks by Briggs and Little
Needles: size 3.25 mm dpns
yarn; Tresko by Sandnes Garn, colour 1003

Onto other things ... I have had a few other FOs this year (ones I am not going to have to rip).

I knit my sister a hat and cowl from Lion Brand Thick and Quick in Cilantro colourway (used just over a ball for the set), in the pattern Speedy Cable Beret by Paula Chin, and the Speedy Cable Cowl pattern she wrote as well.

I also finished the Capitain hat (pattern by Rosie Garmendia) that i cast on and nearly finished (except for the strap and seaming of the brim) back in late September -- it is pretty cute - but you'd never know it from the awful picture I have --

I've got 2 pairs of socks in progress as well as a fish hat, a Shrek hat and another Speedy Cable beret ... I think I have started the new year with a case of startitis!

Wait til I show you all the wonderful yarn I got for Christmas - Santa was good to me :)

How I spent my New Year's Eve

2010-01-01T18:00:00.003-04:00

My niece A is 7 years old, and got a knitting kit from her grandmother for Christmas. Last night, she asked me if I could teach her to knit ... I think she has a lot of knitting talent (she caught on so fast, and after about half an hour, she was knitting on her own, just asking me to check her work once in a while!).

The reason I think she'll be a knitter? we cast on for a Barbie scarf, and she told me "I think I can finish this before bed." A Knitter? I think so!

I wonder if they like their fish hats?

2010-01-01T17:51:00.009-04:00

My sister send some pictures of each of her boys in their hats, and a few of them posing together ... I wanted to get this on the blog as a remembrance of things I've knit (and also to show of my cute nephews!).

A forgotten FO

2009-12-31T23:46:00.002-04:00

I meant to Blog this pair of Socks a while ago, but it slipped my mind ... better late than never, I guess :) I did manage to get them on my Ravelry Projects page when they were done, but just took their picture taken this evening.

These were cast on on Dec. 5th (as knitting to take to the Theatre while watching Twilight New Moon - I enjoy the look of the socks much more than I enjoyed New Moon. I had hoped for more action, not a soppy love story. And if I had to choose side -- Team Jacob, Definitely! Pasty skinny, kinda wimpy looking dude who mopes around all the time, or a tall, dark handsome fella with tons of rippling muscles, who rarely wears a shirt -- the choice is easy - s'all I'm saying!).

Anyhow, back to the socks ... cast on Dec. 5th before going to the movie, finished Dec. 15th - plain vanilla pattern. Knit as usual on my 2.75 mm Estelle bamboos dpns, with Kroy FX yarn in Cascade colourway, and the Flax colourway for the heels, toes and cuffs.

My MIL asked me to knit a pair of socks for her dear friend (who apparently compliments my MIL a lot on the handknit socks my MIL has - all knit my me). For Christmas, she gave her friend a pair, and the friend apparently liked them so much, my MIL thought she'd enjoy another pair for her birthday in February. So these socks are a birthday gift for my MIL's friend M.

This picture doesn't give a true interpretation of the colours, but the camera battery was low (not much flash) and it is late at night, so that's all I have for now to show. I'll try to get another shot soon to put in this post.

A FO to Show

2009-12-31T23:19:00.006-04:00

I made a few Fish Hats for my nephews and nieces (one is still a WIP, but that's another tale for another day), and so far, only have pictures of one of the 4 that are done ... Christmas sorta snuck up on me, and the kids got the hats after the official day, and I didn't have my camera with me, so am waiting to get pictures.

This is Baby O, having his head eaten by a fishy ... Photo courtesy of his mom. Jack's picture should be here soon, and I'll post more fishy goodness then.

This could be a way for me to blog more often ... I might like this ... ;)

Frosty

2009-12-07T21:07:00.005-04:00

A friend asked me to knit a child's hat for her grandchild, but she didn't want a Shrek hat (thank heavens)... so I told her about this hat that I knit for the nephews in 2007, and she thought that would be cute.

This is Frosty ... knit from assorted shades of Patons Decor, on 4 mm dpns. Started Dec. 2nd at Knit Nite, finished Dec. 6

P.S. I knit 2 more Shrek hats ... and now am working on numbers 26, 27 and 28 -- stop the insanity.

A little adventure

2009-12-06T16:57:00.018-04:00

I don't think this needs many/any words, except to say that we had a great time with T's brother and wife and our niece A and nephew Spenny.

Oh, and we got our Christmas tree!

Forgotten FOs

2009-12-03T12:51:00.006-04:00

Its been a while since I blogged about knitting, and I realized I have neglected to mention a few FOs (and why finish something if you don't bother to tell anyone? If a pair of socks is knit in by a solitary knitter, does anybody care?)

I made these

and am calling them "earthy" for obvious reasons (the clever naming of projects has gone to the wayside folks - I am way too stressed to come up with a clever name for a vanilla pair of socks!). The details are on my Ravelry project page, but for those of you who do not Ravel, they are made of Kroy Jacquards, in Rich Earth Tones colourway, and knit in my standard vanilla sock pattern, on 2.75 mm needles. Knit 'em in tandem for the matchy matchy effect. They have since been gifted by my MIL to a friend of hers who always admires the handknit socks my MIL wears (made by her most excellent DIL - me!). The friend loves them - I am pleased.

And those who read this here blog regularly will not be surprised that I have gone on a knitting stint again - In November, I knit 16 more Shrek hats (but have no pictures of the pile of complete hats - I'd knit 4, and they'd go, then knit 2 more, and they'd go ... they were a moving target!)

I am addicted, they are seriously too cute! A bunch went to the craft sale and to others who placed orders, and I have 2 left (my Shrek hat total to date in 2009 is 24 ... is that extreme? Am I fixated? should I see someone about it?)

I have a few more works in progress, but they are not done to a point I can blog them. I shoudl be back in a few days with some pictures.

Big Ole Moon

2009-12-02T17:57:00.001-04:00

My House in the middle of my street

2009-11-24T12:16:00.004-04:00

I figured there should be a before shot

and a during shot (Apparently, there used to be windows on the sides of my house! Who knew!)

Hopefully, soon, there will be an after shot. This reno is a little nerve wracking, making decisions, and wondering if it will look nice when it is all done - new siding and new windows to match the new roof and chimney we did last year.

A change in taste

2009-11-18T19:16:00.009-04:00

I've noticed lately that my taste is changing ... I've never had an interest in, or even paid any attention to, anything with owls on it, but suddenly - totally taken by them.

I've been eying up fabric - (this one is from Spoonflower - scrumptious!)
(this one I found on Hartsfabric's site)
(and this fabric is from Harts too!)

Owl material isn't all I've been taken with. I am thinking of gettin' my craft on by making one of these - as Amy at the Leaky Lounge blog has so kindly listed a tutorial for, or one of these appliqued on who knows what?!

Yumi Yumi's etsy Shop has been getting a lot of looks from me -- love it! Go look-see!

There are over 62,000 owl related items on Zazzle - and I've been working my way through the site, page by page (some pretty adorable stuff here! Even Shoes!), and I've even found (and bookmarked!) a blog devoted to all things owlie - My Owl Barn.

I find myself searching Ravelry for cute Owl patterns - this is adorable, and this is too cute for words, I love this and this makes me want to grab the needles and go-go-go!

Whoo-oo'd a thunk it? An old broad can change her taste (somebody hide my credit cards!)

somebody - please take away my self striping sock yarn!

2009-11-06T19:37:00.003-04:00

I can't seem to stop knitting vanilla socks with self-striping yarn! I have other knitting to do, things people have ordered, craft sale knitting and Christmas gifts that aren't socks -- and what do I pick up to knit? Socks. I just finished these tonight ... made of Socken Wolle yarn in colour 675 (which I am calling "A Conservative Walk on the Wild Side" because of the neutral, conservative colours that contrast so much with the vibrant orange and magenta pink).

They are a gift for a friend ... can't say who - surprise gift!

The details are the same as all my other vanilla sock posts - knit on 2.75 mm needles (bamboo this time. I started them on Oct. 31st as Halloween knitting, and finished them tonight.

I like 'em ... sometimes it is good to mix the conservative and the wild!

Christmas Knitting Progress

2009-11-01T23:13:00.000-04:00

I have finished another Christmas gift ... they have been done for a while, but I neglected to photograph them.

Steps for my Step ... socks for my step mother, knit from Austermann Step in Brombur (colour # 3). They remind me of sock monkeys. Ravelled here, blogged here.

Vanilla ... not just for ice cream anymore

2009-11-01T22:44:00.003-04:00

Yep - another pair of plain ole vanilla socks(but jazzed up with an Eye Of Partridge heel). Pretty dull, but I needed knitting to take to the movie last weekend ("Cirque de Freak:the Vampire's Assistant" - quite good,reminds me of "American Werewolf in London' from the 1980s), and the vanilla sock meets the criteria.

The Details:
Pattern: vanilla, plain, boring sock
Needles: 2.75 mm dpns, 1 sock on Estelle natural bamboo, the other on Harmony woods. I knit them in tandem to be sure they were very 'matchy matchy'.
Yarn: Patons Kroy Sock Stripes, colourway 'Cyan Stripes'
Time in: 6 days. Started - Sat. Oct. 24th, Finished - Friday, Oct. 30th
For: my baby brother (well, he is 23, so I guess he's not a baby anymore), for Christmas. He moved out West in the Summer to work, and has found a job he really likes ... but he says it is FREEZING (big sista to the rescue!)
Again?: yeah ... as dull as they are to look at and write about, I'll keep making vanilla's fairly often, as I can make them in the dark, I have a ton (literally, almost!) of self striping yarn which is great for stocking stitch, I can crank a pair out in about a week if I am working (and quicker if I am not), and they make a nice basic sock present (especially for a man) - although my husband T told me last night his favorite type of sock is one with a small rib top, and wider ribbing down the leg to the foot ... he likes the way it hugs his foot and calf. He is becoming so well versed in handknit socks ;)

Boo to You!

2009-10-31T22:16:00.009-03:00

Well, another Halloween has come and gone ... and I had some pretty cute, err, I mean SCAREY visitors that came from everywhere!

They came from the land ...

A & S, our niece and nephew, came out dressed as a vampire and a pumpkin, and were among the first to arrive, followed immediately by our 12 year old niece V, as a gorilla, and then a few minutes later our nephews J & Baby O stopped in (they are visiting for the weekend from Halifax). J is a knight, and Baby O is Woody from Toy Story.

They came from the air ...

My sister and her husband accompanied the boys, and she was dressed as a witch (she's such a good mom - dresses up with the boys every year! She's been a farmer, a pirate, a cow girl, and now a witch!)

They came from the sea ...

Little Miss A the Lobster came by for a visit too -- she looked pretty darned cute on her first Halloween (kudos to her momma on sewing such a sweet costume for her!)

We had 43 kids visit the house ... not bad, but we usually get more. I carved a few pumpkins, but the wind kept blowing out the candles ... or was it the wind? Maybe a low flying witch!

Pay it Forward

2009-10-24T13:10:00.002-03:00

I recently agreed to take part in a Pay it Forward exchange. It's a pretty neat idea: you can receive a personal, handmade gift from a talented crafter, and all you have to do is "pay it forward" by agreeing to do the same for three people.

I've been reading John's blog for a few months now, and when he listed his Pay It Forward offer, I jumped at the chance (he is a really talented fella!) I'm looking for two more people to accept my offer (the deal is for three, but I already have one lined up -- Bumble Beans sent in a request to play along as soon as she found out I was involved in John's PIF, and knew that I would be looking for someone to send to..

If you would like to receive a handmade gift from me, and are willing to make and send a handmade gift along to three of your blog readers, please let me know in my comments. Once you accept, you will receive something from me within 365 days. In turn, you will have 365 days to fulfill your end of the bargain.

Fun stuff - giving and receiving!

my favorite flavour

2009-10-18T10:28:00.004-03:00

...vanilla!

I cast these on as movie knitting, Friday night, so I'd have something to do during the Trailer Park Boys Countdown to Liquor Day movie. I can't do anything more complex than a stocking stitch in the dark, so vanilla socks these will be!

If the yarn looks familiar, it may be because I had started knitting socks from this yarn before, but it was too pink to be socks for T, so to the frog pond it went!

These will be socks for my step mother for Christmas ... and the fact that they are knit from Austermann Step and are for my Stepmother makes me giggle a little as I knit away.

I have 8 Shrek hats to knit (3 are totally done, 2 more are partially done ... so I am getting there), and need a break. Knitting with a different weight for a few days takes some of the strain off my hands/wrists.

ETA - first one is now done ... except for toe grafting, but I'll wait to do that until the second one is done.