Rant Coming... No Knitting Content Today - Feel Free To Skip

I just have to get this off my chest or I think I am going to burst.

As some of you may know, I am a big woman. I have been for most of my life. The battle began after puberty and never left me.

I've done the diet yo yo and had success and put it back. I had some wonderful success about 8 or 9 years ago and was at my lowest weight in a very long time. I am NOT going to make excuses but then I was diagnosed with cancer and the spiral began anew. I have tried a few times since to get things under control but even then it's been up and down and back up again.

It seems to me that lately I've been asked too many times if I'm on any plan. Today I was asked by my boss's sister "How's the weight going." First, I don't recall ever talking to her about it and even if I did, that isn't something to ask someone when you are not close and you haven't spoken to in at least 9 months. Where the hell does she get off?

My weight is my business. It is up to me when or IF I decide I am going to do something about it. I am sick to death of it and I don't want to hear it anymore from ANYONE!!! It doesn't help me when I am asked the question. If you don't like my weight than don't look at me. Don't be my friend. Do whatever you want just LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE WHEN IT COMES TO MY WEIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Way back in November I preordered the new Addi Click needles. After waiting for what seemed like forever, I FINALLY received the set yesterday. I gave them a trial run last night. Overall I am quite impressed. The cords are extremely flexible. I was a little worried about the "learning curve" I'd read about but it was nothing. Once I read the pamplet that came with the needles on how to assemble it was really quite easy. The packaging is top notch. Something you would expect from Addi. There is a connector that you can use to connect two cords so if you need longer lengths you have that option. It even comes with a needle gauge so if the stamps on the needles rub off you will have the gauge right there. If I had one wish it would be that it came with more cords. I am waiting for them to sell tips and cords separately. Other than that I can't say enough good things about the set. I'm glad I preordered even though there was a very long wait. With the current exchange rate the prices here in Canada have increased. That's what it looks like anyway based on checking out some different sites.

On the knitting front, I got the next clue for the Vernal Equinox Spring Surprise Shawl. I started it last night and I should be done with it tonight. After this clue is done there is only one more left. Then blocking and deciding where it is going to go. My granddaughter loves pink and I am thinking I might send it to her to use when she is cold in the house.

I started a pair of socks from some Regia Galaxy yarn I had in my stash. I finished the first sock in two days and then started the second. I thought I would get it done on Sunday. I was working on the gusset when I realized I had a mistake and I ripped back to the end of the increases for the toe. Surprisingly enough I was able to knit back all that I had ripped by the time the laundry was done. Now I put it aside while I finish clue 6a on the shawl. After that's done I don't know what I want to start. Decisions decisions.

February 15, 2009

Tomorrow is Family Day in Ontario and I am lucky enough to have the day off. I decided to take advange of the situation and hang out at The Purple Purl today. I wasn't going to buy anything but they got in these new project bags and I just loved the pattern on the material so I decided to get it. I also bought the new IK and Piecework magazine.

I was able to knit for hours and therefore I was able to start and finished clue 5 of the Vernal Equinox Shawl Surprise. I was a little worried it might be too big and the designer said if you are worried about that stop before clue 5. I decided clue 5 isn't that big so I went ahead and completed it. Now that that's done I don't really have another WIP so I have to figure out what I want to knit next. I can't believe I have no clue what I want to start.

Happy Valentine's Day

First, Happy Valentine's Day everyone.

I finished the crochet off on the Trollblume doily just after midnight and it is now blocking. I have to say I love the way it looks I just wish there wasn't so much puckering where you have the knit 7 together. It's to be expected I suppose and maybe it will look different once I remove the pins and it has dried.

Back On Track

On Monday I said I was done with chart A of the Trollblume doily I am working on. It turns out I spoke to soon. Due to a misunderstanding I ended up working part of the chart incorrectly. I had already cut the yarn to begin chart B (one of the oval "wings") so I just threw out that piece. I started over on Monday and finished chart A last night and took pictures this morning. I'm now back on track, started chart B, and will take pictures once there is more progress.

A Whole Lot of Knitting Going On

I've been knitting away lately. Surprisingly enough, I've managed to stay up later than usual all week so I really got some good knitting time in the evening. I finished clue 4 of the Vernal Equinox Spring Surprise shawl as well as the Coral Reef socks. I also started another doily - Herbert Niebling's Trollblume oval doily. I finished chart A but I didn't bring my camera to my in-laws yesterday and by the time I got home it was too dark to even bother. I am using DMC Cebelia No. 30 in a mint green colour using 1.5mm needles. I wanted to use a pink DMC Cebelia 20 but I only have 1 ball and I was afraid I would run out so I decided on the green instead. Once this one is finished I'll have a better idea if I can do it in the pink. Now to get started on the oval sections and get this doily done.

Best Blocking Method I Ever Learned

I wasn't feeling well yesterday and, since Friday is only a half day, I decided to stay home. I took advantage of the time to block the Krokus doily I finished back in September. This doily is way bigger than I thought it was and that's what delayed the blocking.











I have to say that the best blocking I ever learned came when I did the Magickal Earth shawl from A Gathering of Lace. I have blocking wires and I've never had much success trying to use them. I always thought I was just odd. The item needs to be wet and then I would try and feed the wires through. It would hurt my back and I'd get all wet. It just wasn't working for me. When I blocked the shawl it tells you to run white thread (I use crochet cotton) through all the points and just make sure they all go in the same direction. In other words, if you start by inserting the needle from back to front you continue that way all the way around the shawl. I did that and the blocking, which took up almost my entire queen size bed, was a lot easier that I expected. Two weeks ago at Snb I brought the Krokus doily with me and did the same thing. I just never got around to wetting it and blocking it. Instead of having to pin each crocheted loop I just pinned the centre of each flower on the border. It makes the loops pin out much more evenly and it saves my back. Instead of hundreds and hundreds of pins I used somewhere between 30 and 40 pins. I am a complete convert now to this method of blocking. I don't need the wires anymore. Now to decide if I want to hold on to them or not.

Cursed? Yes, Or No....You Decide

This is the story of some lovely grey Jaggerspun Zephyr yarn. It originally was bought my Kimberly to love and knit into something wonderful. She tried and tried and then decided the yarn was cursed. Kind Kimberly decided to pass the yarn on to someone else hoping it would lift the curse.

Enter Maggie who took the yarn from Kimberly hoping to break the curse. But, alas, Maggie decided the yarn was indeed cursed and brought it to Snb hoping once again someone else would be able to lift the curse off this wonderful yarn.

That's when the yarn came to me. I've knit plenty of lace before. I've even used Zephyr before. Surely I would be able to remove the curse. I was going to knit this lovely yarn into a scarf for Kimberly and I was hoping to have it for her as a surprise Christmas gift. Well that was in 2007 and Christmas has come and gone twice.

As I said before, my wonderful husband found this poor project hiding in one of my many knitting bags just waiting to be picked up. Pick it up I did and I finished all the knitting yesterday. You might recall in this post that I mentioned a hole that I noticed when I went to knit the second edging. I still think I must have missed a knot and it came apart. I repaired it or so I thought. Yesterday I threaded string through all the points and then soaked it this morning and pinned it out on the bed. Before I could do much of the pinning I saw THIS.

I am going to guess that the fix I did came undone when I soaked the scarf. How was I so lucky to have something like that happen? I have absolutely no idea. Well I grabbed some yarn and needles before I finished pinning out the scarf and did at least a superficial fix so I could finish blocking it. This is the result. Now I have to look at it carefully and see if I can manage anything better and if not tuck in the ends you see under underneath.

Cursed or not? Like I said, you decide.

Catching Up

The time between posts just seems to fly by. I've been planning to post since I came home from the Purl on Monday night and I never got around to it. Where does the time go? Kate Jacobs was at The Purple Purl on Monday night for a book signing. She did a reading from her latest book, Knit Two. It was a lot of fun and I am glad I decided to go and the weather cooperated for a change. I am looking forward to warmer weather so I can get to the Purl more often. It seems like whenever I want to go it snows. Spring will get here eventually no matter what the ground hog says tomorrow.
I decided to join yet another KAL. Most of the time I end up waiting until the pattern is complete and then knit it rather than knit the clues as they come out. This pattern is called The Vernal Equinox Shawl Surprise. I'm using Filtes King Color Baby by Needful Yarns. The colour is Pink Roses. I bought the yarn from elann.com. The yarn has a nice feel to it. I just hope the shawl isn't going to be extremely large. If I find it's too big I can always stop before the last clue, I suppose.

The first of the Coral Reef Socks complete and I'm on the leg part of the second sock. I hope to get it done by Tuesday. The only question is, once that sock is done what I am going to knit next? I've got some cashmere that I want to use. I just don't know what it wants to become yet. I know it's going to be a shawl I just wish I could figure out what shawl.

Yesterday I took one class at the Downtown Knit Collectives Winter Workshops. I think the next time I am going to take more than one. I just didn't have the time this weekend. The class I took was on interpreting Japanese Patterns. It was given by Patrick Madden. The class was fantastic. If there was anything I could say I wish, it is that the class would have been more than 3 hours. The class was way too short but very informative. I also have to get down to Village Yarns. I've never been there and Patrick works there. That's good enough reason for me to try and make a trip to the store. Now to figure out how to get there. Google Maps is my friend. Sorry, I don't have any pics. I forgot the camera at home yesterday. (I didn't make it to Romni either.)