Yosemites Knitting Addiction

Blogaversary And A Day

2011-07-21T06:51:00.004-04:00

I tried to post yesterday and the universe just didn't seem to want it to happen. I typed a blog post up and then lost it all and I was just too hot to try again. So here is the blogaversary post a day late.

I can't believe it's been 5 years since I started blogging. Granted I've been a bad blogger for a while and with the insanity of life that doesn't look like it will change any time soon. However, I still wanted to acknowledge the day (even if it is now a day late).

There has been knitting going on and even some FO's most of which are socks. I have more WIP's then I care to admit. Here is just a small sample of what's on the needles right now.

I'm knitting the Patchwork Shawl from WollZauber 01/2010 by Gerhard Schoppel. I'm using the yarn and colour that is in the pattern book because it's got purple and if you read my blog you know just how much I love purple. I've only completed 3 squares so far but as you can see the squares are knitted as you go so there is no sewing together at the end (just ends to tuck in).

The shadow shawl is past the halfway point. It's been so hot in Toronto recently that I just can't work on this right now.

These socks are just plain socks but the yarn is lovely. It has angora in it and the softness can't even be described.

Now I just hope the heat and humidity improve because +37C temps and feeling like +49C is just too hot for me.

Shadows

2011-05-26T07:00:00.004-04:00

I have so many projects on the go it isn't even funny. That hasn't stopped me from getting sucked in to even more. I'm taking a glove fitting class at Creative Yarns and was there last week and saw someone close to finishing this lovely Shadow Shawl. I fell in love and had to knit it. I'm using Trekking XXL colour 418 and Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine in colour 12171 (a plumy sort of purple). I pretty much have to keep knitting until I reach the end of the first ball. I'm at the point now where it doesn't feel like it's growing much even though I know it is. When this is done there are so many other patterns I want to knit from Wooly Thoughts. Being a huge Dr. Who fan the Dalek and David Tenant/Dr. Who are very high on my list of must do patterns. I think the first one I will do is their free pattern for the Tiger head. Instead of brown and cream I'm thinking of using orange and black.

Two At A Time - I Think I Like This

2011-05-12T11:41:00.001-04:00

I've been knitting socks for a long time and never liked knitting two socks at once. I always thought it feels like it took too long. I didn't see progress and just decided it wasn't for me. Fast forward to me trying to knit my sock inside a sock again. I ran into a problem and had to rip back to the end of the cuff and when I picked the stitches back up I decided to continue side by side instead of once inside the other. This is now my third pair knitting two socks at once and I'm quite liking it now. The yarn for these socks is the Fliegende Untertasse (Flying Saucer) by Schoppel-Wolle. Both skeins are dyed at the same time so you can have matching socks. I love the way the designs are lining up on each sock. I finished the heel last night so these socks should be done this weekend.

The Fruits Of My Labour

2011-04-14T07:40:00.001-04:00

As most of you know, I love to knit. However, I rarely knit for myself. This winter my son asked me to knit a hat for him and it ended up being hats for the family. Because I am in Canada and they are in the US it is a little difficult to make sure the fit is right. So I knit up 3 hats and sent them down. The ladybug hat is just adorable on my granddaughter and probably will be too small by next winter. My grandson looks equally cute in the sheep hat but if it is too small next winter he gets to wear the third hat I knit for either his mom or dad. I know why it's too small for my son or DIL. On one of the rounds the stranding was too tight. I'll have to fix that for the next set of hats. Thankfully the winter is over so I have some time to get it done. When I see pictures of the knitting in use it makes it all even more worth while.

Slouchy

2011-04-06T07:42:00.000-04:00

I'm busy knitting chemo caps and was asked to try and knit one out of wool instead of cotton. I decided the Four Seasons Tanis kit I bought was the perfect choice. I'm pretty pleased with the results. I'm also working on the Tvåändsstickning (Twined Knitting) mittens. Saturday is the last class and I finished both mittens except for the gloves. Pictures to follow once the mittens are completed.

Before & After

2011-03-27T20:35:00.002-04:00

Today was the last of the Felted Fair Isle Tote class I was taking. We all went to the instructor's house and felted our bags. This is the before. And this is the after. I can't believe how much the bag shrank in the felting process. I love it. I'm going to have to make another one.

To Busy Knitting To Blog

2011-03-25T19:44:00.007-04:00

I can't believe it's been almost two months since I blogged. The time flies by way too quickly. I've been busy knitting away. Here just some of the stuff I've done.

The first pair of socks are knit with the softest yarn I have ever knit with. It's Debbie Macomber's Petal Socks. There's 20% angora in them and as much as I love knitting socks I don't think I've ever enjoyed knitting a pair better than this pair.

Sunday is the last of the Felted Fair Isle Tote class I'm taking at Creative Yarns. The class has been a blast. On Sunday we get to felt this bag and I can't wait to see how it will look once it's felted.
Tomorrow is session two of the Twined Knitting class I'm taking at Creative Yarns. This is a totally new experience for me. Having to knit with my right hand makes it slower but I'm glad I do two handed fair isle or I never would have been able to knit the mittens. I'm using Berocco Ultra Alpaca.
The hat is blocking on a plate. The yarn is Debbie Bliss organic cotton. I have enough to knit at least two more hats. I'm just trying to find suitable colourwork patterns. The pattern is Nordic Winter Tam. I bought it from Ravelry.
I'm also working on two sweaters. One is another Vancouver Olympic set and the second is a sweater set for DH's great nephew. It's on hold at the moment while I get socks and chemo caps done.

Hats

2011-01-31T07:59:00.003-05:00

When I went to the Woodstock Fleece Festival in October I bought a kit for the Ladybug hat by Barbara Telford. I wasn't really pleased with the yarn that came with the kit so I decided to substitue. The sheep hat from my previous post was done using Louet Riverstone and this is the same yarn but different colours. I knit the sheep with 4.5mm needles and felt the hat was too big. So this hat I knit using 3.75mm needles and, of course, it's too small. I also didn't realize I was supposed to knit antenna for the hat as well as the tassels but that's alright. I think it looks great just the way it is. This one is going to go to a friend's daughter. I also have orders for hats for my son who loved the baby set I sent down for his daughter. My grandson wants a sweater too because why did granny knit somethins for Sara Liba and not for me, so I am going to be very busy knitting hats and sweaters for the next little while.

Back At It, I Hope

2011-01-17T07:00:00.002-05:00

It's been a long time since I blogged. The time goes by so quickly and I just haven't felt like posting.

I have been busy knitting. Last Friday I went to The Purple Purl and picked up yarn to knit The Sheep Hat by Barbara Telford of Woodland Woolworks. I didn't really like the colours that were in the kit. Being a purple person myself, I bought some lovely colours for my version of the hat. The yarn is Louet Riverstone and I like it much better. It's still a 100% worsted weight yarn but it's not harsh even though it is feltable yarn. I am so please with the way it came out I want to try and knit another one and use a smaller needle to see if it will stay on my head better. I have that problem no matter what hat I tend to wear. I'll make longer ties on the next one so I can tie it down when needed. I also have the Ladybug pattern and kit but I haven't had a chance to knit that one yet. I bought the Riverstone yarn for that one as well.

Over the year end break I managed to finish all the baby projects I'd been working on except one. This is a Dale of Norway baby set but I can't remember which book it's from. I used Sandnesgarn Mini Duett and the results are gorgeous. This is for my new granddaughter that was born in September. Better late than never and I knit a size 24 months so I'm sure it will still be very big.

Oh and if anyone ever uses Mini Duett, make sure you DON'T put it in the dryer. The Vancouver sweater set I did for my grandson accidentally landed in the dryer and it no longer fits him due to shrinkage. So I'm knitting another set in a 24 months size that I hope to finish before he gets to big for it.

This is another Dale pattern. If I knew where I put all the Dale "books" I have I could tell you which one it was from. I put them all together in one place so I would know where they are and that's a sure fire way to misplace them since I still can't remember where I put them all. Thank goodness I copy all my patterns instead of working directly from the book or my goose would have been cooked. The yarn is the Dale Baby Ull and when I bought it I did not realize there was a darker purple. It didn't really patter since the yarn store I went to didn't have the colour and now that there isn't a supplier for the Dale Baby Ull in Canada any longer, I'm just glad I was able to get more so I was able to make the hat.

Now I have to finish the Vancouver set again. The body is done and one sleeve is almost done. I've put it aside for about 2 weeks while I work on a pattern for someone that needs to be completed in 2 weeks.

Life Is Very Difficult Sometimes

2010-11-15T07:46:00.001-05:00

I can't even put into words how I feel anymore. This post should have been done weeks ago but I just couldn't do it after having lost my dad on October 10th. My Mother-In-Law passed away on October 23rd. I suppose we knew it was coming but I never thought it was going to be as quick as it was. In the end, the only thing I can say is God was merciful. The last two days of her life was full of incredible suffering. But Lindy accepted it as she did everything else in her life.

Thank you for being a second mother to me. Thank you for all the love you gave to my children when they came to visit, especially Henny. I will never ever forget and am so thankful for her last visit when you got to meet Elmo. You were so happy to see him.

You were the most incredible grandmother to Joseph. I think from the time you saw him in the hospital and he "smiled" at you, he had a special place in your heart for the rest of your life. You were an incredible woman. In all the years I knew you I never ever heard you raise your voice. You never had a bad word to say about anyone. There is an emptiness in my heart that will never be filled.

RIP Mom. I love you and miss you.

I Miss You Dad

2010-10-21T17:55:00.005-04:00

I've never been very good expressing how I feel, especially in the written word. English was always the most difficult subject I took in school.

On Oct. 10th my dad left us. We may not have always seen eye to eye on things. We had many clashes over the years as children do with their parents. In the end none of that matters. I think we both figured that out about 15 years ago. I know he is at peace now. The last years were not easy for him as his health declined but it's still so difficult.

This picture was taken about 34 years ago. The little one is my oldest daughter. Daddy always smiled when he was with his family and he had a large family. There were 6 of us and he lived to see more grandchildren then I can keep track of and then there were the great grandchildren. He left a wonderful legacy.

I know dad is up there with mom and he's singing with the angels. Singing was such an important part of his life. As a Cantor he sang with so much feeling. You felt it in every word he said. Now I'm thankful for the videos and mp3s so I will still be able to listen to his voice.

Dad, I miss you more than words can say.

Knitting For Babies

2010-09-21T06:23:00.000-04:00

I'm currently working on baby knitting. The great part is even if it's colour knitting it still goes fairly quickly because the sizes are small. I finished the sweater from the set I am making for my newest granddaugther. I love the way it came out. Now I'm working on the pants and I'm almost ready to start the hip increases and then I'll be ready to split and work on each leg separately. The lice pattern is easy since there is only one row of colour and then 4 knit rounds in the main colour. The only patterning in the pants happens close to the cuff on the bottom of each let. That makes it pretty mindless knitting and easy to work on the go because I don't have to worry about the chart.

This sweater is from the same book as the sweater above. I'm using Dale Baby Ull for this (the yarn called for in the pattern) and even though it's not as much of a colour contrast as in the sweater above, I still am very happy with the way it is knitting up. I just couldn't find girl colours that I liked that I felt worked as well together as these. Most of the Baby Ull the store had in stock were pastel or brown and I wasn't about to use brown. I'm now working on the first sleeve and I'm hoping I'll get at least one done by the weekend so I can cut the steeks. If I have enough yarn I will also knit a hat. I wanted one more ball of the purple and the shop didn't have it in stock. None of the stores that carry the Baby Ull had it either.

So Much To Tell

2010-09-07T08:08:00.002-04:00

So much has happened since I last posted I don't even know where to begin. It's been a busy summer. My daughter came for a visit at the beginning of August and she brought her youngest along. His nickname Elmo and he is just adorable and a handful as you can well imagine. He gets into everything. I brought him to visit my friend and she has a dog. At first he was a little scared because Bianca was barking. Then she fell asleep and Elmo got pretty brave.

Meet my newest grandchild. She's a beautiful little girl. Her name is Sara Liba. She was born on Thursday and she looks just like her brother Mati.
Don't believe me? Here he is when his dad took him to a Brooklyn Cyclones game this summer.
Yesterday was my oldest son's birthday. I don't know where the time goes. This is Shmuel with his daughter. I've been blessed with wonderful children and lovely grandchildren. What move can a person ask for?
On the knitting side of life, I've been in a colour knitting craze of late. I gave Henny the first Dale of Norway sweater set I made for Elmo. Now that the weather is getting cooler I'm sure I'll have a picture of him wearing the set sooner rather than later.

This is another Dale of Norway set I'm working on for Sara Liba. The pattern is from book number 208 and the pattern the 10th in the book. Here it is before steeking. I did steeks for the front and back of the neck since there was really only one long cast off at the neck for both the front and the back.
Here's what it looked like post steeking.
Now the sleeves are in. This morning I picked up the stitches for the front button band. Once that's done I'll do the buttonhole band. Then there's the pants and hat to go but those won't need to be cut.
If that wasn't enough colour knitting, I'm also working on this pattern from the same book. This is pattern 7. It's for my girlfriends daughter. She had a baby girl on August 26th, I think, and this is going to be another steeking project. I'm only planning on doing the hat and sweater for this but after this I should be an expert at steeking.

Another Year Gone

2010-07-20T07:01:00.000-04:00

I can't believe my blogoversary is here again. I've been a very bad blogger over the past year. Even worse than I have been in a long time.

It's been so hot this summer so not a lot of knitting or spinning has been going on.

I'll try and be better in the future.

Mu daughter is coming for a visit next week so I'll have stuff to blog about and pictures of the little one. I am so excited I can hardly wait.

Not Bad!

2010-07-06T06:56:00.002-04:00

I know it's been forever since I last blogged. Me very bad. I've just been so busy that I haven't had the time. Now we are in the middle of a disgusting heat wave here in Toronto and it's too hot for me to sit at the computer. However, I finished the sweater set for my grandson this weekend and I had to show it off.

This is the Dale of Norway Vancouver sweater. It's my first colour sweater and my first STEEKING!!!! That's what took me so long to finish it. I was freaking out about cutting the steeks. I took a steeking class towards the end of June and decided it was time to finish this. I am so happy with the way it turned out. Now I have to keep my fingers crossed it will actually fit the child it was intended for. If it doesn't I will pass it on to the baby that will be arriving sometime on September. I think the colours are alright for a boy or a girl. Now I'm trying to figure out what I will knit next. This colour stuff is addicting. Who knew!

One Thing Leads To Another

2010-05-15T10:31:00.004-04:00

It's funny how lately I've found that one thing seems to blend into the next. Those that know me know that I've avoided colour knitting for years. All I was willing to do was stripes and that was it and even that I didn't do often. The only colour that I had in my knitting was what came from the yarn I bought. Enter the Fiddlehead Mittens into my life and I had to give colour knitting another try. That experience got me used to two handed knitting for Fairisle.

When I decided to learn how to knit a sock inside a sock the two handed knitting I learned was very helpful in my knitting the two socks, as you can see here. I found it very difficult to work this technique holding both strands of yarn in one hand. So to make sure the yarns don't get mixed I hold one in my right and one in my left. These socks I started yesterday. I decided to give these with some new Knit Picks Felici yarn I just got since when I am done I will have a completed pair of socks. The yarn I was originally using was Patons Kroy 3 ply doing one red sock and one purple sock. When that "pair" will be done I'll still have another pair to knit. By offsetting the stripes I'm hoping I'll be able to finish this pair without any problems. I'm very comfortable with the technique now so if I have the same colours come together I think I'll be alright.

On Thursday I bought Double Knitting by M'Lou Baber. I was reading the book yesterday and I came to realize that this isn't going to be that difficult since I learned how to knit one sock inside the other. The technique is very similar. This is so cool. Who would have thought that the Fiddlehead Mittens would have opened so many new possibilites in my knitting? Not I that's for sure. You live and learn.

Where Did The Month Go?

2010-04-21T05:58:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it has been almost a month since I posted. I knew I had not posted in a while but I thought it was more like two weeks. I guess I've been busier than I thought.

On Sunday I took an advanced sock knitting class at The Purple Purl. Why advanced you might ask? Because you knit two socks at once but not side by side. One is knit INSIDE the other. I tell you this totally blew my brains out. It's mind boggling and FUN once you get the hang of it. The ribbing is a bitch and I still need to remember things so I don't screw up and end up attached the two socks at some point. Yesterday I finished my first sample socks. This is my second attempt. It's still going to be a sample and I messed up doing the ribbing twice but it's still good and fun. Faster, I don't think so. However, just being able to do it makes up for the slower part.

When these are done I'll post pictures before I take them off the needles. I have to work on my tension for the heels so I don't have huge gaps. That's what I want to get right before I attempt to knit real socks.

Who Are You....

2010-03-23T06:59:00.000-04:00

...And what have you done with Rochelle. That's what a friend of mine said last week when I showed her all the colour knitting books I bought. Why? Because I hated colour knitting. I tried it about 15 years ago and I couldn't stand it. Then the fiddlehead mittens came my way and I knew I had to knit them. So I took a class at The Purple Purl and voila. Here are my completed Fiddleheads and I've already started my second colour project.

In case anyone noticed, the colour sequence is opposite to the one I did in the first mitten. When I finished the second mitten I realized the gauge was totally different from the first so I ripped the first mitten and knit a third one. I like it reversed better. It's what I had originally planned but I messed up when I started knitting after the cast on and knit the colour squares with the dark and the white squares with the lavendar. These are now the way I intended them to be. The dark are lavendar and the light are the purple. It took a little getting used to but I finally was able to get the hang of it.

I am having a lot of fun with this colour knitting and that totally surprises me. Now I have to try and knit colour socks but I think that will be a little ways off.

Gold Medal Received

2010-03-02T07:02:00.000-05:00

Since it's been SO long since I did anything with my template I seem to have forgotten how. I was going to put this on my sidebar but it's not working. That means it's here in a post instead or until I can figure out what I'm doing wrong.

Thank you to Mr. Frank Habit for the lovely gold medal.

Gold Medal

2010-02-28T14:12:00.003-05:00

My knitting for the Knitting Olympics is complete!!! I finished the second sock from the blue socks yesterday. Now I am attempting to finish the 2nd sock from the other 2 childrens pairs I started before the Olympics. I finished the first one this morning and I am on the heel of the second one now. If I can get it done that will mean I've knit 2 adult pairs and 2 children pairs of socks during the Olympics. In a way I'm glad it's over and I've got my gold medal. I haven't touched my wheels since the Olympics began and I miss them. Tomorrow will be devoted to spinning.

Almost There

2010-02-22T07:27:00.001-05:00

I'm close to finishing my Knitting Olympics challenge. I was getting a little worried that I wouldn't finish on time but, despite having to rip over 4 inches on the first sock of the 2nd pair when I realized I had 56 sts insted of 60, I am almost done with the 2nd pair. Once these are done I only have one child pair for a size 2 shoe to complete.

Saturday I had the 2nd and final Fiddlehead mitten class at The Purple Purl. I still have to do the lining but here it is with the thumb complete. When I do the second mitten I am going to do the gusset increases with m1 by picking up the loop between the stitches instead of doing a backward loop onto the needle. I think it's going to give me a much neater result. I'm so anal that if it works I'm actually thinking of either redoing this mitt or giving the mitts away. I bought a Tanis kit for this in purples and after the knitting olympics I intend to knit the 2nd mitt and another pair using the yarn from the kit.

I've decided to change the yarn I'm going to use for my Miko challenge. If you need a reminder of what it's all about you can see it here. When I ordered this yarn from elann.com last week I thought it was a little lighter. On their site it's called dusty wine. To me this looks more like a dusty pink but I like the colour and I think it will work much better than the cotton I had started with. Now I just have to begin all over again. The first month is almost over and I have 91 samples to knit. I should get it done but I'm anxious to get started when the olympic knitting is out of the way.

1st Pair Done

2010-02-19T08:05:00.002-05:00

This morning I finished the first pair of socks. I was hoping to finish the second sock earlier in the week but I got side tracked by the Fiddlehead mittens. The second pair using this yarn is for a size 6 shoe so I hope it will be faster to knit. Since I only work a half day on Friday I should get some good knitting time in. My goal is to get past the heel today but I'm not sure I'll get that much knitting done. Only time will tell.

Tomorrow is the second Fiddlehead mitten class at The Purple Purl and I am going to try and resist the temptation to do the lining or start the second mitt until after the knitting olympics is done. I really must finish the second pair of socks in this yarn before the closing ceremonies or they'll never get done. I still have to knit one more pair for my grandson as well so I have lots of knitting ahead of me before I can qualify for a gold medal.

Surprisingly, I Think I Like This

2010-02-17T04:35:00.004-05:00

Instead of working on the Knitting Olympcs socks I need to finish, last night at Snb I worked on the Fiddlehead mitten instead. I finished the first mitt except for the lining and thumb. I'm going to put it aside for now until the class on Saturday when we are shown how to pick up the stitches for the lining. I really like the way they are working up and it's a fun knit. I can't even believe I just typed that since colour knitting was so taboo for me. I think when I go back for the second class on Saturday I am going to get a kit for another pair.

Why Can't I Be Monogamous...

2010-02-15T09:46:00.004-05:00

You'd think with me trying to get a gold medal in the Knitting Olympics I would be monogamous and only working on the stuff I need to get done by the closing ceremonies. That's not the case right now. So here's the knitting I did yesterday.

I am now past the thumb gusset and I might even get to the end of this mitten, minus the actual thumb, by the next class on Saturday.

I must really be enjoying knitting these mittens because I am seriously considering getting the kit and doing it in all the different colour. I'm also starting to look at coloured knitting a little differently. Now THAT'S scary. Anyone who knows me and my knitting will attest to that.

I am just about to start the ribbing on the first sock and should have this one done today. Then I'll cast on for the second sock. My goal for today is to get past the toe.

Finally, yesterday the February clue came out for the 2010 Lace KALendar. There is a choice of hard love or sweet love. The hard love pattern has a pattern row on every row. The sweet love has resting rows on the wrong side except for the faggoting section. I've never done the hearts this way so I decided to do the hard love. I'm still debating if I want to do one repeat of the sweet love after I do a few more repeats of these hearts. Sadly the lighting is very bad today and the colour is really off.

Tomorrow it's back to work so not as much knitting will get done. However, it's also Snb night so I'll be up later than I usual am on a weeknight since I won't be home to fall asleep in the chair.

Fiddleheads

2010-02-14T05:18:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I went to The Purple Purl and took my first class for the Fiddlehead Mittens. I tried taking a colour knitting class many years ago and I hated it. I decided that colour knitting just wasn't for me and gave up. Then I saw the Fiddleheads and I had to make them so I decided to give it another go. After some bumps along the way with the yarn choices (I decided not to do the kit), I finally was back to knitting. The yarn is Mission Falls in purple and lavender and I love the way this is working out. The colour knitting is not as difficult as I remember. I suppose part of that is because I taught myself to knit English style and even though I'm still not very good at it, it works well with stranded knitting. I'm just about to start the thumb gusset and couldn't be more pleased. I hope I continue to feel this way. Kate Atherley is a great teacher and I highly recommend taking one of her classes if you ever get the chance. Now I can't wait to take her math for knitters, designing socks, and finishing classes.

Friday night I cast on the socks for Shayna. I just started the gusset for the heel and hope to get that done today. Despite my dislike of her yarn colour choice I love the way the colours are knitting up. I know Shayna likes the yarn. Now I hope she likes the way they look once they're all done.

Knitting Olympics

2010-02-12T09:26:00.006-05:00

I have been really bad about posting lately. I've been busy spinning and knitting. I have a lovely blend of bison, cashmere and silk that I'm spinning on Seraphina (my Matchless) . On Lizbeth (Suzie Pro) I'm spinning some Ashford merino/silk. Finally, I'm spinning a teal corriedale on Rose (Ladybug). Except for the corriedale I'm aiming for lace weight so this helps avoid getting bored since lace takes me so long to spin. I am looking forward to finally finishing the Ashford because I've already spun up a bunch of the cinnamon and this is the last of that colour I have.

I've been busy knitting socks for the grandchildren. I finished 6 pairs for them and sent them off to my daughter last week. They arrived yesterday and I'm waiting for pictures of the socks on their feet. I have one pair for each to finish and then have to knit two pairs for my oldest granddaughter and her friend. She chose the colour. She said she wanted funky in green and yellow. I tried to find yarn that had just green and yellow and I wasn't successful so I asked Maggie from Dyed in the Wool Handmade to dye some for me. I sent Shayna a picture and she loves it. The yarn for both are now wound into centre pull balls and ready to go.

I know that there will be the Ravelympics on Ravelry again for the Winter Olympics. Originally I was going to participate but when I saw that The Yarn Harlot was doing the Knitting Olympics again I had to do it there. You see when they did the Knitting Olympics back in 2006 I tried to get a shawl done but failed because life got in the way and I didn't get a gold medal. I know it might sound silly but I was really upset. So here I am back again to try for another gold metal. I am going to knit the two pairs of socks for GD and her friend because frankly I need some incentive to get these done. Green is my least favourite colour. Frankly I can't stand them but I don't have to wear them just knit them. I'll also finish a pair of socks for my grandson. I work weekdays and tend to fall asleep early in the evenings so this will be a challenge to get done.

Ravelry also has another group for a 2010 Mystery Lace KAL. There will be a different clue for each month of the year. This is the clue for January. The yarn is my own handspun from Fleece Artist Merino/Silk sliver that I bought at Gemini Fibres.

On Saturday I finally finished Revontuli. I made this one from Meilenweit Solo sock yarn. I like the longer colour repeats. I just have to find the time to block it. Since I still have the first Revontuli I knit from Noro to block who knows when that will be.

My final craziness for this year is a challenge from Miko at The Purple Purl. She decided to come up with a knitting challenge similar to the cooking challenge in Julie & Julia. The challenge should you decide to accept it is to knit through all the patterns of a any knitting book of your choice over the next 12 months. The challenge began on February 1, 2010 and will end Jan. 31, 2011. We will have a big bash at The Purl when it is all over and done with. For this challenge I've chosen to knit all the samples in Knitting Lace by Susan E. Lewis. There are 92 samples in all and I'm already behind. I've only done these two so far. I've decided to do them separately and then join them all together when I'm done.

With all this knitting I hope I'll still have time for spinning.

Seraphina

2010-01-10T07:04:00.005-05:00

I think I'll call her Seraphina. DH really surprised me when he told me to go ahead and order the Matchless wheel I've been lusting after ever since I got Rose, my Ladybug. I ordered her on December 23rd and imagine my surprise when Canada Post delivered her on Sunday January 3rd. I had a day to play before I went back to work. I have to say that this wheel really is a dream. I had tried a Matchless once when I first started spinning and I was less than impressed. I now believe that is because the wheel I tried was an older wheel and I'm guessing not very well maintained. This wheel is smooth as silk. The treadeling is effortless like on the Ladybug but I find the double drive a lot easier to adjust than on the Ladybug. She's set up in double drive right now and I think I will keep her set up in double drive for now anyway.

I finished plying this skein yesterday. The fibre is Fleece Artist merino/silk sliver that I bought from Gemini Fibres. The spinning was done on a combination of the Ladybug and Matchless. When the Matchless came I switched the flyer from the Ladybug to the Matchless and finished the spinning on the Matchless. The plying was done on the Ladybug. I haven't measured WPI yet but it's a lace weight yarn. I still have 50 grams of this fibre left that I've started spinning. We'll see how long it takes to finish. This I'd like to spin and ply completely on the Matchless. I find, so far, that spinning lace is much easier in double drive because there isn't that tug on the singles. In Scotch tension no matter how light I keep the tension there's always a bit of a tug. If I try to lighten the tension anymore there isn't enough tension to wind the yarn onto the bobbins. I think I am going to like spinning laceweight a lot more in double drive than I have with Scotch tension.

Socks Anyone?

2009-12-30T11:40:00.003-05:00

Earlier this month I sent off a package to my daughter with a bunch of socks. Because I wear orthodics in my shoes, I can't really wear my own handknit socks. Therefore, most of my handknit socks go to my daughter. Well this package contained about 9 pairs, I believe, including all the socks I knit for NaKnitMo. The final pair I finished I didn't get a picture of but I did the circle socks and they looked great. I have to knit another pair because Henny loved them. Since I sent off the package I knit these socks. The pattern is a free patten from Wendy Knits and can be found here. The yarn is from Diamond Yarns and I got it at The Purple Purl. I'm very pleased with the result. After my daughter received all the socks the kids decided they wanted me to knit them all socks as well. I'm surprised it took them so long because I've been knitting socks for Henny for a long time. Anyway, I finished socks for the two boys and just finished the first sock for my GD. Once they're all done I'll knit another pair from the second ball and send them all down.
I've been spinning as well. This was spun on Lizbeth and I am pretty pleased with the results. The yarn is a light fingering, I believe. The fibre is Fleece Artist merino/silk blend. I'm going to knit socks from it I just have to decide for who and a pattern.
With the year almost over I'm not planning on any resolutions for the new year. I never manage to stick to them anyway so why start off the year feeling disappointed. What I do plan on doing is trying to spin more even if it's just 10 minutes daily.

The Matchless DH got me for Christmas / birthday should be here by Monday and I plan to become friendly with double drive since the wheel comes set up in double drive.

Finally, I'd like to wish all my friends, family and anyone who reads my blog a very happy, healthy and properous new year.

Happy Birthday Joseph

2009-12-22T18:35:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it has been so long since my last post. Where did the month go?

On my refrigerator is a picture of Paul holding Joseph and he could he was able to fit in Paul's arm. Now he's taller than I am. Long gone are the days like this or this or this when I was able to take pictures without much of a hassle. Back in 2006 he was still willingly taking photos. Then he would object but still let me take them.

We brought Joseph over to his grandparents so they could see him on his birthday and we brought along a birthday cake. When I tried to take a picture of the cake I had to sneak a picture of Joseph. He tried covering is face with his hands and stuff so this was all I could get.

I haven't had any cake but my in-laws' said it was delicious.

Sunday was the Pre-Boxing Day sale at The Purple Purl. I could have been much worse and more came home with me than this but this was most of it. The peacock Tanis and purple Fresco are going to become Fiddlehead mittens if I ever get up the courage to knit them. The Step will be socks for my daughter and the Malbrigo will be a cowl for a friend.

Almost Over

2009-11-30T06:54:00.003-05:00

Even though I've reached my goal of stitches for NaKnitMo I'm still trying to see how far I can go. My official goal was eventually raised to 180,000 stitches but I fell asleep on Friday and never got around to increasing it one last time. As of this morning I've now knit 197,264 stitches. I was hoping to reach 200,000 but there is no doubt in my mind I can do that.

Yesterday I was at The Purple Purl and I brought the final colourway I have of the Regia Designer Line Kaffe Fassett yarn. This is what I'd completed on the first sock by early afternoon. By the time I konked out last night I finished the heel. When I woke up at 4:30 this morning I cast on the toe of the second sock. I am now 4 rounds from doing the gussett so I should have the second heel done today. For the legs I am going to do the Circle Socks. These socks are supposed to be done top down but I prefer toe up so I'm just following my regular sock construction and will do the stitch pattern for the circle socks on the leg. I finished these on Saturday and as usual I love the way they turned out. I think I'll be a little sad when I finish the last colourway of this yarn. I'm debating if I want to go back to Mary's Yarns and get more.

I'm also working on Revontuli. The yarn is Lana Grossa Meilenweit in their Solo collection. I worked on this at The Purl yesterday until I reached the end of the first skein of yarn. Now I have to attach the second skein and get back to it but I think I will do that after NaKnitMo is done.

More NaKnitMo Finishes

2009-11-25T07:10:00.001-05:00

NaKnitMo knitting continues. I've actually met my goal of 150,000 sts. I did that yesterday. The deadline to increase has passed so I am going to try and see if I can get to 170,000 even if it won't be official. I finished Revontuli except for the blocking. I used Noro Silk Garden sock yarn. I love the Noro colours but, honestly, I am not a Noro yarn fan at all. It's the second time I've knit with Noro. The first was a pair of socks out of Kureyon sock yarn and this is the second. Unless I see something amazing I don't think I'll be knitting with Noro again.

I also finished another pair of socks from the Regia Kaffe Fassett Designer Line. I can't even begin to express how much I love the way these socks work up. I found that Mary's Yarns in Markham carries the yarn so I went last week and picked up this colourway along with a skein of Lana Grossa Meilenweit Solo yarn in colourway number 5201. Then I decided instead of using the Meilenweit for socks it needed to be another Revontuli so I went back on Friday and got another skein of Solo and 2 more colourways of the Regia yarn.

I've cast on the second Revontuli and am almost finished with chart 2 but I haven't taken pictures yet. Pictures will follow when the shawl comes off the needles. I love the way the colours are working up and it will be interesting to see how much it looks as the shawl becomes wider.

This is the third pair of socks from the Regia Designer Line. I've started the gussett on the first sock and this is the second sock. Joseph has a dentist appointment this afternoon so this is the sock I decided to bring with me to work on while I wait for him to finish.

It's Amazing

2009-11-18T08:03:00.001-05:00

NaKnitMo has been great for my knitting mojo. Here's the picture of the finished socks as promised. I really love the way they worked up. I liked it so much I went and bought another colourway of the same line. I started them last night at Snb and boy are they going to be bright. There is a very bright orange and bright green in the colourway I bought. It should be interesting to see how it works up.
I also finally finished knitting this Spring Blossom shawl on Friday and got it blocked yesterday. The yarn is my own handspun. Fibre is Ashford merino/silk blend in colour cinnamon. I am so pleased with the final result. When I blocked it the shawl ended up being larger than I expected and for that I am even happier.

Happy 2nd Birthday

2009-11-16T06:41:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, November 15th the Purple Purl turned 2. As they did for their first birthday they had a sale on purple yarn. I took advantage and got some Noro Silk Garden sock to knit Revontuli. I've seen this quite a bit lately and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to give it a go. I've only used the Noro Kureyon sock yarn and honestly, except for the gorgeous colours, I didn't enjoy the knit at all. I'm hoping the Silk Garden will be different.

Miko and Jennifer thank you for making your "little purl of a shop" such an inviting place to be. I've made many new friends and acquaintances over the last two years. When I go to the purl it's just like knitting in my living room only so much better. Keep up the great work. I look forward to many more years of laughing, shopping, knitting and just spending time together.

Due to the birthday bash I spent the entire day at the Purl and got some great knitting time in. Between yesterday and early knitting this morning I managed just over 10,000 sts yesterday. I'm increased my NaKnitMo goal to 120,000 and I might just increase it to 150,000 as Drea suggested. I just want to see how the next few days go before I commit. Totals as of this morning is 84,632 out of 120,000.

I finished one sock using the Regia Kaffe Fassett designer yarn I bought at The Needle Emporium last week. Originally I was doing a k3p2 rib starting at the top of the foot and then ripped it out. The yarn really needed just st st to show just how nice this yarn really works up. Pictures to follow once the second sock is done.

Mr. Peacock

2009-11-13T07:04:00.003-05:00

The best part about NaKnitMo is all the knitting I seem to be getting done. The bad part, the spinning is suffering. I haven't really had much spinning time with all the knitting. Last night I finished this Peacock facecloth. The edging is different thatn the pattern calls for. I honestly don't remember where the edging came from. I saw someone make it when I was still on the knit list. I didn't design the edging and therefore can take no credit for it. I like it much better than the edging Medrith did.

I have knit this facecloth many times but I haven't knit it in quite a few years so it was almost like visiting it for the first time. The pattern was originally from an old issue of Workbasket, I believe. Then Medrith Glover redid it. It's really magical. The knitting can be fiddly and not for the novice but it's still great fun. There is a "square" version in The Lacy Knitting of Mary Schiffmann. I knit that version as well when the book first came out but I was never quite happy with how the peacock looked off centre when you tried to square off the doily. Now I want to see if there is a way to make this lovely peacock into a shawl. I have some ideas kicking around in my brain. I'm not sure if it will work or not. Time will tell.

I also finished these socks for my BIL. He's been driving me nuts to make socks for him for years. When my MIL was in the hospital all he did was keep asking me when he would get his socks. I gave in and started these socks. The pattern is Colosseum, I believe. It was one of the socks from the Sockamania club but then it was called No Name Socks. The yarn is Brunswick Nylamb that I had in my stash. This sock yarn is so soft. It's softer than most other sock yarn I've used. The problem is the colour. It is really really difficult to knit these things with my old eyes. If I every make socks from this yarn again, and I probably will since I have more chocolate and black yarn in my stash, it's going to have to be a st st pattern where I don't have to really look at the pattern and keep track of anything. I don't plan on knitting another men's pair of socks in the near future. The feet are too long and it seems like it takes forever to knit even though I finished these socks in about 2 weeks.

DKC Bus Trip

2009-11-09T07:30:00.008-05:00

Saturday was the 4th annual DKC bus trip. This is my first year going and I am so glad I did. I am pretty sure it won't be the last time I join the group. We gathered bright and early at Finch sation and were on our way promply at 8. The first stop was The Needle Emporium in Ancaster. It was great to see Julie on her turf. I'm used to seeing her at the Knitter's Fair or the Knitter's Frolic. Her selection is vast.
Julie always has a great bag selection and this time was no different. I bought the Namaste Hermosa bag in eggplant.

I was pretty good in terms of yarn. I only bought 2 skeins of Regia Designer sock yarn in their Exotic Pool colourway and a skein of lace yarn from Prism yarns. There's about 1,460 yards to this 100 gram skein. The colourway is fog. I just fell in love. In addition to that I bought the fall Knitter's magazine, a sheep tape measure, a Berroco pattern booklet with this pattern and some cords and 6mm tips for my Addi Clicks.

Once we were done at The Needle Emporium we borded the bus and headed off to lunch.

The bus driver took us from Ancaster to Caledon. The drive was about an hour and the scenery was gorgeous. Lunch was delicious. We had pumpkin soup, quiche with salad and then pie for dessert.

I felt sorry for our bus driver. They kept asking him to move the bus. When we finished our lunch we had to walk up the hill (not far at all) and passed this. I am guessing it's supposed to be a man and a woman but I'm not totally sure.

From lunch we went to our final desitanation - Camilla Valley Farms. I was finally able to get the 2mm - 40 inch Addi lace circular needles I'd been looking for.

I only bought the needles and this purple tencel yarn. I have an idea what I want to knit with it but I'm waiting to see if the cotton yarn I originally was going to use for that project comes in. If it doesn't I'll use this for another Magickal Earth shawl since the one I knit earlier in the year seems to want to continually develop holes.

No pics from Camilla Valley. I was so tired by the time we got there and suffering from horrible nausea so I totally forgot. It's in the middle of nowhere and really is a farm. You could tell the minute we got off the bus. Surprisingly enough though, they didn't have sheep, only cows.

As for NaKnitMo, I didn't get to knit quite as much on the bus as I would have liked because the nausea was getting bad. I did managed to knit some on both the second sock for BIL and the Spring Blossom shawl. With the knitting I did once I got home I managed to knit just over 7000 sts on Saturday.

NaKnitMo

2009-11-04T07:12:00.002-05:00

It's November again already!! It's amazing to me how fast the time flies. Instead of doing NaBloPoMo where I have to blog everyday, I decided to do NaKnitMo - National Knitting Month. I have to knit 60,000 sts during the month of November. So far I've had a bit of a head start by finishing this scarf that is a store sample for The Purple Purl.

The pattern is called Nightjar and it's from the Mirasol Collection book 6. This book chock full of lovely accessories. The yarn I used is Sulka and it is just scrumptious. It's a softly spun chunky/bukly weight yarn that I'd love to untwist and spin with. The colour is Red Onion.

I also started this Cabin Fever pattern called Jane Austen Shawl. I did the kerchief size which is much smaller than the shawl size. This is also a store sample for The Purl and I used Misti Alpaca Super Chunky. This was such a fast knit. I'm not used to using such big needles like I used for this and the scarf. Lately I've been knitting socks on 2mm needles or shawls on like 3.25mm needles so the 6mm and 10mm needles was quite the change.

The best part of it is I've forgotten just how quickly this stuff knits up. If I need a reminder, I recently discovered Sylvi. I discovered it when an FO was posted by someone in one of the groups I'm in. Well I just fell in love and knew I had to make this pattern. It's not really for me so I decided to knit it for my daughter. I bought Cabin Fever Northern Lights yarn in Blueberry for the sweater. I was debating other colours but this was one I liked and there was enough of them in stock. I am having challenges with the gauge but I think there will be some wiggle room in the size so I am going to use 6mm needles. I tried going up to 6.5mm but I didn't like the way the swatch felt even after being washed. If I knit this with needles that are too large the weight of the coat will just stretch the coat to pieces. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Now to just try and get the first sleeve done.

I'm also trying to knit a pair of socks for my BIL. Knitting these socks reminds me why I can't stand knitting socks for men. Their feet are just to bloody long. I'm also using Brunswick Nylamb in a chocolate brown colour and it's not easy on the eyes at all. The first sock is done and I am going to try and use NaKnitMo as encouragement to get the second sock done. Even though I don't usually have second sock syndrome, I think I could easily develop it with these pair of socks.
Finally, Monday was my friend Suzie's birthday. A friend of hers made these cupcakes and brought them to The Purl last night. The decorations are knitting related. They are just too cute for words. I can't speak for the taste because I didn't try them but judging from everyone's reaction they tasted as good as they looked.

I went to Gemini Fibres on Saturday and I'll post all about that in my next post. I need to take pictures of the loot. Saturday is the annual DKC bus trip and I'm going this year for the first time. It promises to be tons of fun. I am so looking forward to it. The challenge will be to behave. I'm going to try but it won't be easy. It never is. However, my stash is so out of control I will try to keep that in mind as I try not to browse.

My Son The Soldier

2009-10-27T15:59:00.004-04:00

My son Shlomie had to report to the army today. He knew this was in the cards when he decided to become an Israeli citizen. Originally he had to report in December but the date was pushed up. It's tough because he got married at the end of June and being apart from his wife will be difficult for both of them. Me, I'm a mom who will worry but because of his age (he's 25) I'm hoping he won't be in any sort of danger. Right now he's off to boot camp. I'm going to try not to worry and even though the time change can make calling Israel difficult, I want to be there to help support my DIL. We'll see how it goes. I know I'm a little bias but I think he looks great in his uniform.

Tonight is Snb night and I brought my Bosworth book charkha with me to play. Just realized I forgot the camera at home so I can't take pictures. I haven't forgotten about the picture I was supposed to post. I just haven't had the time to actually get the picture taken. One of these days I will do it.

I'm in the process of knitting a pair of socks for my BIL. I got sick of his asking but knitting these socks reminds me of why I don't like knitting socks for men. The feet are too bloody long. I'm not really liking it. I love the yarn. I am using some Brunswick Nylamb that I had it my stash and all I can say is SOFT!!! The yarn is a dark brown and that doesn't make it easy on my eyes but the first sock is almost done.

I'm also working on a scarf that someone asked me to knit as a store sample. The yarn is Mirasol Sulka in colour red onion. The yarn is a very lightly spun yarn that's 60% merino, 20% alpaca and 20% silk. This yarn is yummy. Because the yarn is so lightly twisted I'd sure love to try to spin with it. I'm using my Addi Clicks to try and keep the yarn from splitting and it seems to be working. I'm not having a difficulty knitting with it. The spinner in me keeps wishing it was fibre I could spin.

Where does the time go? My newest grandchild will be 7 weeks on Friday. Henny received the Baby Surprise Jacket I did for him. Now to find or spin yarn so I can make him another one. Still waiting for pictures of him wearing it. Will blog once I have it.

Creative And Knit Night

2009-10-21T17:23:00.007-04:00

Friday I went to the Creative Festival. I was surprised by the amount of fibre arts they had this year. The overall show was cut in size by half. They only used one hall where in previous years they used two. However, there were yarn shops and local businesses that I haven't seen at the show in many many years. It was great to see. Now I hope the amount of fibre arts will continue to increase year over year. I was pleased this year where last year, even with the free ticket, I thought it was a waste of my time.

I didn't buy much but after going through my fibre and yarn stash the previous weekend I really didn't plan to. I bought buttons for my grandson's Baby Surprise jacket. I bought an 8 oz. bag of Ashford merino fibre from Romni Wools in a lovely purple colour.

Last year at the festival The Black Sheep and Ewe had these lovely ceramic sheep figurines from Ewe and Me. I'd been looking for this one ever since I saw it at The Purple Purl. When I saw that Black Sheep and Ewe had it I bought the only one they had with them.
This year they had this little guy and I felt it would be a perfect companion to Grandma's Present. I just love them. It's a shame he didn't have more of the small ones. I want to get a family of them. With the two medium/large sizes I have now I want to get some of the small ones and have a sheep family. Tom said it isn't easy for him to get them so I'll have to just get them as I see any I like.

The last thing I bought was a skein of Clestial Merino sock yarn from British Yarn. The colours were such fall colours I couldn't resist. Now to find the time to actually knit socks with it.

Tuesday night I went to The Purple Purl for their knit night. Look who came to visit! It's Cookie A. I wish I had known she was going to be there. I totally would have brought my Sock Innovation book for her to sign. Yeah I know I'm a complete geek but I don't care.
Speaking of socks, I am in the Tri Wizard Tournament group on Ravelry. One of the three tasks we had for October was to knit something blue or with waves. I decided to use this as an opportunity to knit some Regia sock yarn that I had in my stash. I couldn't find a pattern with waves that I thought worked with the yarn so I designed these. Miko from The Purple Purl came up with the name Shells in the Waves and I like it so I think I'll keep it. I still have to block the socks get better pictures and work up the pattern but I will do it eventually.

Schacht Contest

2009-10-15T07:35:00.004-04:00

I found out on Sunday that I won Honourable Mention in the Schacht contest. Since I honestly didn't expect to win anything this is such a great thing. It has given me much more confidence in my spinning. I won one of their Dizzy Yarn gauges. I had to enter as an expert because I learned to spin in November 2006 and for their contest 2 years and more is considered expert. I, personally, don't consider myself an expert at all. There was time in there that I didn't spin at all or very little. I do see considerable progress in my spinning and I'm happy with that.

And speaking of spinning, I finished the Louet merino/silk fibre I've been working on. This was spun on my Schacht Ladybug. The fibre is the Louet Merino/Silk blend in Glacial Green. I'm not totally sure of the yardage but it's 220 grams and I think it's about 1300 yards total. There are two skeins. One is 137 grams and the second is 83 grams. I think it's lighter than fingering but not as fine as some lace yarn you can get. I still have to check the WPI as well. When I wind it into a centre pull ball I'll check with the yarn meter so I know the exact yardage I have. This way I can decide what the yarn wants to become. Right now I don't have a clue.

I've also been working on another sock design. The stitch pattern is from a Japanese stitch pattern book I have. The yarn is a Regia sock yarn. I am happy with the first sock but want to try something different in the heel for the second sock. I just have to figure out how I am going to do it. I've never tried it before. I'll have more details once it's finished.

Giuseppe, I haven't forgotten about your request for the picture. The skein I did at that time is very tiny. I haven't really done another skein because I haven't been very happy with the singles so I have been playing and taking it off the spindle and tossing it in the garbage. I will set up the charkha tonight, I hope, and take a picture of the spindle so you can see what I've done.

I WON SOMETHING!!!!!

2009-10-08T19:08:00.002-04:00

My name is among the winners in the spinning catagory for the I Made It On My Schacht Contest. I don't know what I won and the grand prize winner hasn't been announced yet. They will be announcing that winner later tonight. I am in shock. I can't believe how far my spinning has come since I changed my drafting technique and Maggie helped me figure out I was underplying my yarn. Thank you Maggie. I couldn't have won anything without you.

2009-09-30T17:33:00.003-04:00

I put the spinning aside for a few days to work on a pair of socks. These are the September Sockamania Club socks. The pattern is called Hot Air Balloons. The yarn, unfortunately, doesn't really show of the pattern but it was a fun knit and I am glad I did them. The amazing part for me is that I started these on Sunday and finished them last night. That's 3 days to knit a pair of socks! I don't think I have ever knit a pair that fast before.

I know that there will be other knitting obligations coming up tomorrow but, for now, I think I am going to spin tonight. I finished the first bobbin of Louet merino/silk I've been working on. The second bobbin is going to take me at least two weeks to finish if not longer depending on how much spinning time I get in.

Saturday I spent the day up at Gemini Fibres for their spin in event. I had such a blast!! We were 6 people in all. 3 of the ladies had the Lendrum folding wheel, two of us had the Schacht Ladybug and one lady had the Louet Hatbox wheel. I've never seen this wheel before. It is as cute as can be but I don't think I would feel comfortable spinning on it with the orifice being so low down. After seeing it I can see where there wheel got its name. It really does look like a hatbox when it is packed away.

I didn't come home empty handed either but I wasn't as bad as I could have been. I bought some cotton punis, Ashford merino/silk fibre and another spindle. After I was done I thought that was it but I decided to get a new set of hand carders. I like the fact that the Schacht cotton carders are wider than the Louets and the teeth are closer together. The only thing I didn't like is that the carders are heavier than the Louet. I was also looking at the Clemes cotton carders but I didn't like the way they were finished off. The width and amount of teeth are identical to the Schacht but the Schacht looked like they were better made so I ended up bring them home. Now I have a bunch of cotton I have to card into punis when I have the time.

The charkha spinning is coming along slowly. I'm beginning to get the hang of one handed drafting. I just can't get it as fine as I'd like. I know that like everything else that will come with practice and time.

ETA: I can't believe I wrote this post over a week ago and never posted it.

Roller Coaster

2009-09-21T20:56:00.005-04:00

I've been busy spinning a lot lately so not as much knitting has been going on. I finished the Bird's Nest Smoke Ring yesterday. I used Yummy by Fibranatura. I really like this because it is longer than the cowl I made and it can be used over the head to protect my ears when the really cold weather hits.

Saturday was World Wide Spin In Public Day. I brought my wheel to The Purple Purl and spun most of the day. The fibre is Louet merino/silk blend in glacial green. I have no idea why I bought the fibre because I'm really not a fan of green but for some reason it was calling me and I just had to buy it. I am really happy with the results so far.

Saturday was also the group photo for the February Lady KAL. The photo shoot was a blast. It was the perfect day for it because it was chilly in the park and I really needed the sweater.

Now for the roller coaster. I mentioned in my previous post that I made the finals in the "I Made It On My Schacht" contest. Well we had to mail the yarn to Schacht and it has to be there by tomorrow. I sent it FedEx because there was no way it was going to make it in time any other way. Wasn't I surprised when I tracked the package and it was in Stansted UK!!! Right now I don't have any idea if the package has left England or not. I was supposed to get a phone call with more information and I haven't received anything yet. I called back and was told one person in particular was handling my case. Chances are they are going to issue a new bill of lading so there must be a new tracking number and I don't have it. Hopefully I'll get more information tomorrow. I emailed Schacht and they said not to worry so at least on that end I'm ok. Now to hope the package actually gets there.

Finalist!!!!

2009-09-16T18:06:00.004-04:00

OMG!!! I was just notified that I'm a finalist in the "I Made It On My Schacht" contest. This is the skein I entered. I only got my Ladybug at the end of July and the deadline for entering was September 1st. Lace takes a while to spin so this was what I managed to spin by the deadline once I got used to the wheel.

I don't really expect to win but I never thought I would make it this far. I am must amazed and so happy. I guess my spinning really is coming along. It feels like it took me forever to get here but I am very happy right now.

The good news as great after I got news from my brother that my dad was taken back to the hospital today. He has phneumonia again yet again. Not sure how long he will be in the hospital but all I can do is pray.

Messenger Inside

2009-09-15T07:45:00.001-04:00

CreativeHands asked me to post pictures of the Jordana Paige Messenger bag when it was filled. Well there is room for way more stuff than I have in here right now but this will give you an idea of how much can actually fit in it. Tonight is Snb night and ideally I'd liked to get the buttons on my February Lady sweater so the large GoKnit camo bag has the FLS sweater in it along with the buttons, snaps and other things in it. The small purple GoKnit bag has the Bird's Nest Smoke Ring that I'm working on. I hope to get that finished by the end of the week and I'll post pictures once it's complete. There is a front pocket that just has a few things in it right now but as you can see there is plenty of room.

I am very pleased to say I think my spinning streak has continued. On Sunday I finished spinning the second bobbin of the purple corriedale fibre. I finished plying one bobbin yesterday morning and finished the second bobbin last night. I am not going to complain at all about the results. The Purple Purl had another bag of this fibre and I am seriously thinking of getting another bag. The spinning beings are being kind to me of late and I need to take advantage for as long as it lasts.

Speaking of The Purple Purl and spinning, they are having a twist and ply class beginning next month that I would like to take. Somehow I think that these recent results are just dumb luck because I am not a technical spinner. I did a pretty good job of trying to repeat the results I had with the brown corriedale but I think I can do better.

Now to get back to the pink BFL I was spinning. I transferred the small amount I already spun from the Woolee Winder bobbin to the fat core bobbin that comes with the lace kit for the Majacraft wheels. I did encounter 1 problem. I couldn't get the flyer to go onto the regular head I have. It did screw onto the high speed head so I switched them. That won't work for the Little Gem because the high speed head can only be used on the Suzie, Millie, or Rose wheels but not the Little Gem or Pioneer. I have an email out to Majacraft and The Black Lamb to find a solution.

Worries & Joys & KW

2009-09-13T20:18:00.004-04:00

It's amazing how quickly things can change in life. You go along almost like a robot - work, shopping, home etc. Then suddenly something happens and it changes your entire perspective. That's what's been going on around here lately. As you might know from my last post, my MIL was in the hospital and for a while there it was touch and go. I'm pleased to say she came home from the hospital on Sunday. There are no words I can use to describe how great that was. If that wasn't enough, my oldest daughter gave birth to her 4th child on Friday as well. He was 6 lb. 1 oz. at birth and just look at that head of hair. He looks just like his brothers. I can't wait for my SIL to upload more pictures. Henny came home from the hospital today and both mom and baby are doing fine. Name to follow on Friday. That wasn't the only celebration on Friday. My 3rd son Usher's birthday was on the 11th as well. He just turned 27. He is thrilled to have a nephew with the same birthday as his. See, hang in there and you can get through life's curves no matter what. You just have to have faith and pray. I know there are more challenges to come but right now I am grateful for the happy times and I'll deal with the challenges when they get here.

Yesterday was the Kitchener Waterloo Knitter's Fair. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to make it but since I had the good news on Friday I decided to go. I only stayed about 2 hours and overall I think I was pretty well restrained. I had only planned on getting fibre and I was true to that to a certain extent because I didn't buy any yarn. I picked up the lace flyer kit for my Little Gem. It comes with 2 fat core bobbins and the fast whorl. I'm hoping that will help the pull on very fine singles. I also bought the stylus with 2 stylus bobbins. Laurie from The Black Lamb was at the fair so I had her bring my order there so I didn't have to worry about it being shipped. Now I have to finish the second bobbin of puple corriedale I'm working on and get it plied so I can play with my new toys.

What I did buy at the fair was this silver GoKnit Pouch. I've wanted it ever since I saw Amy come back with hers. Don't ask me why I was so crazy for it because I'm not sure. It looks similar to the bag the Little Gem comes in and I can't stand that bag. This I fell in love instantly. I bought it from the Shall We Knit booth.

This is the only fibre I got. It's Bombyx silk roving from The Rovin Spinner's. I would like to spin it on the charkha once I get a little better. I'm in love with the colours. Their two different colourways but they are both shades of purple so I figure I could use it to ply with some purple fibre I already have or some purple Rambouillet I should be getting in the next few weeks.

The Jordana Paige Knitter's Messenger bag I bought from Julie at The Needle Emporium. I had not expected her to have it because I didn't email her to remind her since I didn't decide to go until the last minute. Julie remembered it so I picked it up. I wasn't sure about the pink at first but I do like the pale shade of pink and I love the inside. It goes on forever like the Knitter's Satchel and I will be able to fit tons of stuff in it when I need to.
The first thing I bought were these buttons. They were the last thing I expected to get. I did not do buttonholes for my February Lady sweater therefore there was no need for buttons. Well these buttons had their own idea. I saw them at the Cabin Fever booth. It was the only card they had and they were just perfect for my February Lady sweater. So now I have to decide how I am going to put them on. I am first going to try sewing on the buttons and put snaps underneath. If I don't like the way that looks I get more yarn, crochet a border and do loops.

This Spinning Thing

2009-09-08T07:33:00.002-04:00

Things have been pretty hectic in my life of late. My MIL had surgery on August 25th and it's been a very rough ride. I believe she is on the road back and we are all so very greatful. I tried knitting during my time at the hospital but I just couldn't. Instead I was spinning some green corriedale on 2 spindles and finished this corriedale on the wheel. I spun it on Lizbeth and I am so pleased with the results. This is the third batch of yarn that I am really happy with. I know they say that when you spin fine you can never go back. I thought I would try to see if I could spin thicker than the laceweight Ashford fibre I spun and this is the result. I think it's about 20 WPI, if I remember correctly. I don't have it anymore so I can't tell for sure. I know it's about 1000+ yards and it's about 200 grams. I think it's close to fingering weight.

DH also bought me this gorgeous Golding spindle. I've been lusting after it for quite some time and when I showed it to hubby I told him I wish someone would just buy it so I could stop lusting. Well he told me to go ahead and get it so I did. It came last week and, needless to say, it spins like a dream. The way the gold and red look when it's spinning is just something to behold. Yet another great tool from Golding Fiber Tools.

Tonight we're having an impromptu get together with some friends and I am looking forward to it. I took some time off on Saturday and drove up to Gemini. I came home with some fibre and another spindle. I need good lighting for that so you can see the lacewood properly. I also bought some cotton to play with on the charkha. I think I'm beginning to get the hang of that contraption. On Sunday I spent a few hours at The Purl and came home with some violet corriedale. I finished spinning half the fibre yesterday. It's amazing how much quicker you fill a bobbin when it's not thread. Now to get the second bobbin done and get it plied. I'm hoping for fingering weight about the same as the corriedale pictured above. By the weekend I should know if I'm still on a roll.

Ladybug Spinning

2009-08-27T07:58:00.002-04:00

I've been spinning on my new Schacht Ladybug daily. I have Lizbeth and Rose right next to each other and I try to spin a little on each every day. It's interesting because I'm spinning thicker singles on the Suzie than I am on the Ladybug. I finished the second bobbin of singles of this BFL fibre on Sunday and started plying it Sunday night. I finished the plying Monday and gave the skein a bath. It's now dry and just gorgeous. I have 75 grams of BLF and it's 23 WPI. I haven't tested the YPP yet. I want to enter this skein into the "I made it on my Schacht" contest. I don't expect to win but I do think it will be fun. Better pictures of the skein are needed and I'll get DH to do that when he has a chance.
I ordered the Hiya Hiya interchangeable needles ages and ages ago. They finally arrived on Monday. I love the flexibility of the cables and it's really easy to screw on the tips. No key is needed. Now to test them out with some yarn. I'll probably do that this weekend when I have some time since I won't be going to the Purl this weekend.
I love the case so much I want to get another one in blue and use it for my Addi Clicks. I hate the case from the Clicks and this has two rows for needles so it will be perfect. A different colour and I'll know which needles are in which case.

18 Years Already?

2009-08-21T07:38:00.002-04:00

It's amazing to me that today Paul and I have been married for 18 years. I can't even begin to put into words how lucky I am to have found such a wonderful man. He's been there for me through sickness and health and has never wavered. I have always maintained, and still do, that when I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000if my ex and I had not split we would have after the surgery and treatment. I am so blessed to have found Paul. He is kind, generous and patient among many other things. He's had to deal with a lot being married to me. The baggage I brought with me wasn't easy. He's never complained. He loves my children as his own. I just wish some of them would give him the chance to prove it.

The past 18 years have flown by. I look forward to many many more.

Paul I love you with all my heart and soul.

Success!!!

2009-08-06T19:24:00.004-04:00

As some of you know, I took my first spindle spinning class in November 2006. I got my first wheel just days before Christmas the same year. Finally, after all this time, I have some yarn I love and am knitting with.

This is Ashford fibre and it's a merino/silk blend that I bought from Gemini Fibres. I had 320 grams of fluff when I started and ended up with 316 grams when I was done. The yarn is about 28 WPI and according to the McMorran yarn balance is about 2950 yards per pound. That means I have pretty close to 2,000 yards.

The pattern I've decided to do with it is the Spring Blossoms Shawl by Eugene Beugler. So far I am really enjoying the knit.

Now to see if I can spin some sock yarn. I have some corriedale in a brownish red colour on Lizbeth and some Fleece Artists merino/silk sliver in a peacock blue colour on Rose. I want the blue to be laceweight and the red to be sock weight. We'll see how it turns out.

Meet Rose

2009-07-26T13:21:00.005-04:00

I've been a little busy this week and haven't had time to post pictures but my new spinning wheel came on Tuesday. I didn't really get to play with her because I was out attending a memorial for a friend who lost his 15 year old nephew on July 11th.

Lily on the left is my Little Gem. I've decided to name the Ladybug Rose. If you look closely you can see the ladybug on the left rear leg. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this wheel. It is very easy to treadle. I haven't had as much time to play because I am trying to finish the second bobbin of Ashford merino/silk that I am spinning on Lily. Fine yarn takes forever to spin. I just finished the 2nd 100 gram bag of fibre and am trying to see if I can fit 60 more grams on each of the two bobbins. Then I'll use the wild flyer, I hope, to ply the two together. I want to be done spinning the rest of this by next weekend so I have the weekend to get it plied.

Here you can see a close of of the ladybug. I won't deny that I wish it was in a more visible place but I love her just the same. It is beyond cute.

I also learned from the Schacht group on Ravelry how to set her up in hybrid double drive. You can find out more info on hybrid double drive here. I am using the high speed bobbin that I got at the same time as the wheel and the super high speed whorl. Right now I am not having any difficulty treadling but that might change as the bobbin fills. I'm a little surprised that I did not have any difficulty going from Scotch tension to double drive. I've heard people prefer one over the other usually based on how they learned. I find much less tug on the bobbin when I am trying to spin fine singles and that works much better for me. I don't have to wrap the singles around different hooks to slow the take up like I have to do in Scotch tension.

You can see from the close up that the poly band that came with the wheel goes from the drive wheel to the whorl. The cord goes from the drive wheel to the bobbin. The bobbin gets flipped around from the way it is with Scotch tension and that's why I am using the high speed bobbin for double drive. I'm told that for Scotch tension it doesn't make a difference.

Back to spinning the Ashford. Let's see how much I can get done today.

3rd Blogoversary

2009-07-20T20:38:00.003-04:00

It is unreal to me that 3 years have gone by since I started this blog.

I knit small versions of the Widdershins sock pattern from Knitty.com in 4 different yarns. It was to help a friend out with socks for a class she is going to be teaching. I've never knit the Widdershins before and I have to admit I really like the pattern. Now I want to figure out a way to adjust the pattern for larger or smaller feet. I don't remember what the yarns are in the picture below. All I know is they are all non-wool socks.

I also finally managed to separate the sleeves from the body on my February Lady sweater. I am relieved to finally be on the lace pattern. Now we'll see how long the body takes me to knit. The yarn is Tanis green label and the colour is Plum. So far I am really liking the way it looks and the yarn is great to knit with.
I'm still spinning for the Tour de Fleece. I'm still trying to finish the second bobbin of the Ashford fibre. I'll be very surprised if I get it done before the end of the Tour.

My Schacht Ladybug should be here any day. I can't wait to set it up and give it a try. I'm most anxious to see where the Ladybug will be. Will it be somewhere visible or somewhere no one else will be able to see? I hope it's going to be visible.

Another Day of Spin In Fun

2009-07-12T17:06:00.003-04:00

Today was the spin in at The Black Lamb. I was either excited about the spin in or nervous about the drive because I had a horrible night. I woke up too many times and when I woke up at 4 I had a really difficult time falling back to sleep. I finally went out to the living room and sat in the recliner and managed to doze off for a little while around 5 but was up by 5:45 after having the weirdest and disturbing dream. I left the house around 7:20AM and then went to the doctor. From there it was off to Port Hope with Cheryl. I'm so glad she came with me because the drive is so much easier when you have someone with you in the car to talk to. Before you knew it we were in Port Hope. There was a very good turnout and I don't think I have ever seen so many Little Gem wheels in one place. Not to mention Majacraft wheels in general. Makes sense since Laurie is a Majacraft dealer.

The weather was a little chilly but I didn't mind. I much prefer that to being so hot I can't spin because the fibre sticks to my hands. Overall I would say this was a huge success and I will definitely go again if Laurie does it again next summer. I know they are planning a spin in for WWSIP Day but I don't know if I will go yet. If they are doing something at The Purple Purl I will go there instead. You can see from the pictures that there was a pretty good crowd.

Cindy, from Studioloo, brought her Mach I and Travel Bee wheels. I tried the Travel Bee and it really is a neat little wheel. When it folds, and is in the bag you can get for it, it could be mistaken for a sewing machine. It also has ratios up to 36:1. How that is even possible for a travel wheel I don't know. I keep telling myself "I don't need another wheel, I don't need another wheel." If I tell myself that enough times I might actually believe it.

There was fun and games. I didn't try to identify the different fibres because I don't handle them enough and I knew there was no way I was going to get anything right. I did decide to try the spinning fine fibre competition. Laurie gave us some of her pencil roving and you had to spin it as fine as you could. This was my result and I won for the thinnest spun on the wheel. Suzie, a friend from The Purple Purl, won for the spindle. I am so pleased because I have tried for a very very long time to get my spinning fine enough and I think I am finally close to where I want to be. These singles needed more twist but the thickness is just about right.

It's That Time Of Year Again

2009-07-09T08:31:00.003-04:00

It's that time of year again. The Tour de France started on Saturday and so did the Tour de Fleece. This year I am just going to try and get as much spinning done as possible. I have 360 grams of this fibre and I don't think I can get it all spun by the end of the tour but I hope to get at least 200 grams done. I like to spin as fine as possible so things take a while. This is the first 100 grams done. I have just a tiny wee bit on the second bobbin and will get back at it this afternoon after work. Crock pots are great. Soup is cooking in the crock pot so I can get to spinning not long after I get home.

I'm not just spinning. I'm also knitting. I've got quite a few projects on the go. I'm in the middle of February Lady but no photos yet. I am still in the garter stitch section but almost done with all the increases. Also working on a pair of socks for my daughter's doula. Finally, I'm working on this. It's the Alaskan Dreams by Sharon Winsauer. You can just see the tail and the beginning of the fin. I'm almost done with charts 2A&B. I should begin charts 2C&D tonight. I am loving this pattern and it isn't as difficult as I thought it would be. The most difficult part for me is that the charts are on multiple pages.

Happy Canada Day

2009-07-01T08:35:00.003-04:00

Today Canada turns 142. Happy Canada Day to all.

Lovely Spin In Over

2009-06-28T06:40:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was the summer spin in at Gemini Fibres. I headed up there bright and early and did some shopping before I pulled out my Little Gem. Last week I asked them to hole 2 spindles for me since I knew I would be back this week. This one is a Granny Forrester spindle in Padauk wood.
This one is another of his colourwood spindles. I just love the look of them. I have to get another one of his Pyrography spindles but he won't be making more of the colourwood, as I mentioned in a previous post, because he doesn't have the wood. This is the bottom of the spindle.
This is the top of the spindle. They are just so pretty and the colours look so nice when you see them spinning. There is one more colourwood spindle I wanted but the shaft was a little rough. I've asked that Mr. Forrester look at it and see if anything can be done before I bring it home.
I think I've figured out a way to store my spindles a little better than they are being stored at the moment. I have them in this plastic popcorn bucket that you get when you go to the movies. I found this wicker basket and I am going to put a piece of styrofoam in it and put as many spindles in there as I can. If I don't have enough room for all of them I'll get another basket.

Finally, I bought more fibre. You can never have enough. I've been spinning this same fibre in another colourway called cinnamon. It's an Ashford fibre blend of 80/20 Merino and Silk. I tell you this stuff practically spins itself. This colourway is called Juniper. It has purple tones in it and I love purple.They have another colourway called Mulberry that I want to get but someone else took all the fibre of that colourway that was in stock so I will have to get it the next time I'm out that way.

An Afternoon of Spinning

2009-06-22T16:40:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we spent the afternoon by my in-law's and I brought my Little Gem with me. I finally finished plying the purple Lorna's Laces merino singles I finished spinning quite a while ago.I was a little afraid that since it's been so long since the singles were done the plying would end up being a disaster. I gave the yarn a nice hot bath when we got home and it looks really good considering. I have 122 grams but it's not totally dry yet so I am not sure of the yardage. I'll check that tomorrow along with the WPI. It took me about 3 hrs to finish the plying and boy did my knees hurt by the time I was done.
I was a little surprised I was still able to spin but I was treadling much slower with the spinning than I was with the plying so I was fine. This is just a little bit of the cinnamon merino/silk I bought on Saturday. I'm going to bring it with me to the spin in on Saturday and continue with it. I was also playing with my Golding tsunami spindle and spun about the same about of that I spun on Saturday during class. Now to try and keep it up and not put it by the wayside again.

Today I am going to finally cast on the February Lady for the Purple Purl KAL so I won't get anymore spinning in. For some reason I am really tired so I think I am going to konk out early tonight.

Where Does The Time Go??

2009-06-21T09:58:00.004-04:00

My nephew Baruch is getting married today. Unfortunately, I was not able to get to NYC for the wedding. I spoke to my bother this morning and it's hard to believe that one of his babies are all grown up and one of the twins will be a married man tonight. Where does the time go? Don't ask me which one is which. I have not been able to tell them apart since they were babies. I know the twins are not identical but they sure look it to me. One is Baruch and one is Shmuel. The one getting married is Baruch.

Yesterday I went to Gemini Fibres for an advanced spindle spinning class. We got to play with some Fleece Artist BFL. It was great fun to spin. We did navajo plying on the spindle and other things. It was a great day with a group of very nice ladies. I had a blast.

If anyone knows me they know I couldn't possibly have gone there and come home empty handed. I prefer light spindles because I like to spin lace or sock yarn and Mr. Forrester found some more coloured wood that he was able to use to make more spindles. However, these are the last that he has of the wood so I won't be able to get more after this. I tried all of them. There was a very small one that I didn't quite get along with but I did love this one and the one below.

There are still two more that I want to pick up and I'll be back up at Gemini next week for their spin in so I'll probably get the other two then. One more is a coloured wood spindle and the second is a Padauk wood spindle.

I usually lean towards purples when I buy yarn and fibre. Once in a while another colour will hit my eye and I have to try it. This is one of those fibres. The colour is called cinnamon and it's a merino silk blend. I am looking forward to starting to spin this fibre but I am going to spend the afternoon trying to finish plying this fibre that's been on the bobbins way too long. It's about time I try and get back to spinning. It's been way too long.

I also bought a spinning book called Spin Control by Amy King. I've only had a chance to glance through it but I am looking forward to reading it cover to cover. Next I can't wait for Abby Franquemont's Respect the Spindle book to come out later this year.

Last but not least, to all the dads out there, Happy Father's Day.

World Wide Knit In Public Day

2009-06-14T10:11:00.002-04:00

WARNING, rant below and really no knitting content. Feel free to skip.

Yesterday was WWNIPD. I left the home bright and early to head off to the Purl for a wonderful day of fresh air and knitting. I stopped for a salad on the way and discovered (or so I thought) that my debit card wasn't working yet again. So off I go to the bank to try and find out what's going on. I'm told my card is fine. So I try to use it in their ATM and do a balance check and almost had a heart attack. Next I do a transaction history and I find out that sometime between 4PM on Friday and 9AM on Saturday some miserable bastard managed to get into my account and withdraw $500. Now that might not seem like a lot to some people but it sure is a lot to me. Now I have to wait 10 business days while the bank conducts their investigation before I can get my money back. This is the second time money was taken from my account and the 5th time my card was compromised. I don't use my card at the gas station, or no name ATMs. I only go to one banks bank machine and that's it. I was so distraught yesterday I almost didn't go to the Purl. I called there and spoke to Miko and she was so great on the phone. I was quite hysterical. I must have given her quite the fright. I didn't get much knitting done and the park was pretty cool until the sun came out in the afternoon so I ended up spending the day inside the Purl. I managed to spill someone's tea and that caused me to have another melt down. Oh well. I'm feeling better today. I know the money will be re-deposited into my account once the investigation is over but I am furious. Furious that NO ONE will tell me where this keeps happening. The bank says they don't know. They are not given a place where the cards are compromised. The police say it would hamper their investigation. Well, what about when the investigation is over? Don't I have a right or do just the F**KING criminals have rights? I've tried figuring this out and still haven't managed. Obviously, it has to be places I go regularly. I ALWAYS cover my hands when I put in my pin but I understand that doesn't even matter anymore because they have other ways of figuring out your pin. I am just sick of these damned criminals. GO OUT AND GET A F**KING JOB AND LEAVE MY HARD EARNED MONEY ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Knitting Away

2009-06-06T15:15:00.005-04:00

I've been busy knitting away on various different projects. I think I have too many right now, if I am going to be honest with myself. After I finished all the knitting for Leah and Adam I got back to the Mandala Shawl I was working on. I don't have new pictures but I finished clue 4 and I have to start on the border.

I also started the KAL for the Anniversary Mystery Shawl 09 and am in the middle of clue 3. I only started this last weekend so I'm behind the rest of the group. Clue 4 came out today and I hope I can get started on it sometime this coming week. The yarn is Classic Elite Silky Alpaca and I'm using size 3 mm needles. It is so soft and nice to work with. Unfortunately, the needles are too short to stretch out the shawl so you can't really see how beautiful it actual is.

The Little Needle Lovers group on Ravelry has a KAL every other month. Different patterns are voted on and then you decide which one of the onces chosen you want to knit. One of the patterns is Jabot. It's beaded and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to make something beaded. I guess you could call it a beaded bag but it isn't going to be very large. I bought a bead spinner a few years ago at the Knitter's Frolic and this was my first opportunity to use it. I have to say I love the thing. It made stringing all those beads almost painless. I believe I have less than 20 rows left before this is done and then I need to decide what I want to do about the strap. The most annoying part about knitting this is moving the beads along. Other than that, I am really loving it.

I'm always hesitant about exchanges because I once had a very bad experience but that didn't stop me from joining a "Gifts From Your Local Yarn Shop" exchange on Ravelry. I received my package today and I have to say I am so glad I decided to take the plunge and join. I love every single thing I received. The Yazzii is going to be great for knitting notions. It opens up and has 4 clear zipped pouches inside. I can never have enough tape measures and even though I've already had the sock blocker key chain I love it so much and I have seperate house and car key chains so I'll have another one now. Both yarns are so soft. The rest is laceweight lambswool and the other is 4 ply. I think I am going to knit the Hydrangea pattern Nan sent me using the lace yarn. I just have to decide if I want to try and double it up or not. I'm not sure what I will make with the second skein of yarn. I'll decide once I do a swatch. I'm leaning towards a scarf, or cowl and fingerless mitts.

It's Been Quite The Time

2009-05-23T17:02:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was my birthday. Since I only work until noon on Friday I decided to take advantage of the situation and spend the afternoon at The Purple Purl. When I got there Robbie gave me these. Aren't they just gorgeous? They're purple Calalilies. I am going to leave DH in charge of caring for them because if it is left up to me I'll end up killing them.
After some knitting Miko walked in with this. Since I'm trying to eat more healthy I didn't want a cake. Jennifer had asked me what I wanted and I said I can have melon. This is the most gorgeous thing I have ever seen and the fruit was delicious, not just nice to look at.

I can't even put into words how much fun I had. I got tons of knitting time in. I'm almost finished with the second Sweet Dreams Baby blanket. Then I just cracked up as Amy serenaded us with a song she wrote. I just love her uke. It's small but it has really nice sound.

I am so lucky to have a husband that didn't mind me spending my birthday away from home. It really was the best birthday. I didn't go overboard with spending either. I just bought 2 skeins of Tanis laceweight yarn that I've been drooling over for way too long and figured what better time to bring it home than my birthday.

Today I spent the day up at Gemini Fibres taking an exotic fibre spinning class. We played with camel, silk and alpaca. I didn't bring my wheel with me because I wasn't feeling too well this morning so I used the Schacht Lady Bug they had at the shop. I tell you, it took every ounce of strength I had not to put a down payment on that wheel. It is a dream to spin and we really got along. The only thing I don't like are the hooks. I might get over that you never know. I really want that wheel but it will have to wait. These are two small skeins I managed to spin. The one on top is pure alpaca that was in roving form (I think) and the other was stuff we combed and had some silk blended with it.
Paul, Joseph, and I were going to go to Montana's for dinner tonight but I am so dizzy we are going to put it off to tomorrow. I'm not happy that Bonamine is no longer available in Canada. Now to figure out what else I can take when I have an attack since I can't take Gravol. Tomorrow I get to wear the birthday hat at Montanas since I promised Joseph I would. Pictures to follow. I'm sure I will look like a complete dork. Oh well, you only live once.

2 Weeks Really?

2009-05-09T18:30:00.007-04:00

Has it really been 2 weeks since I posted last? I think I've been twittering too much and spending a lot more time out of the house. Now that the weather has warmed up I've been taking advantage of the situation and going to the Purple Purl whenever I can. Thankfully, I haven't been buying stuff every time I've been there but I did manage to buy this yarn when I was there on Friday for the Knitty Yarn Roundtable. It's Araucania Ruca and believe it or not it's 100% sugar cane. The yarn is made in Italy and it is so soft. I need to make something for my neck that I can wear at the office so the AC vent doesn't give me a soar neck/shoulder.

On the knitting front, I've finished a dress and started another one. The Little Sister's Dress is done and I've started the Vine Flower dress by Anne Hanson. I finished the first of the Sweet Dreams Baby blankets and I am almost finished with the first star section on the second blanket. I still have to block the pink one but at least the knitting is done.

A friend that went to MDSW picked up two new Golding spindles for me. They are both gorgeous but I've been so busy trying to get some knitting done I haven't had a chance to even try them. I know they will spin like a dream just like my other Golding spindles.

In non knitting news, DH surprised me with an iPod Touch. Now that the wi-fi is all set up, let's just say I've become slightly (well maybe a little more than slightly) obsessed. I'm getting used to the keypad and using the different applications that came with it and those that I've added. It's a lot of fun. The only draw back is it cuts into my knitting time a little but then so does blogging.

Tomorrow is Mother's day and we're off to see my MIL. Can't wait for the day to be over. As I've said before it's not my favourite day of the year. However, Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there.

Another Frolic Come & Gone

2009-04-25T17:50:00.004-04:00

It's amazing how you can look forward to something for an entire year and now, poof, it's over.

I had a great time. I did finish the vest in time. I went to The Purl after work and finished the neck/front border. Then I * knit the armhole border, sewed up the side seam and repeat from * The last end was tucked in 10 minutes before the store closed.

I am not even going to embarrass myself by posting pictures of everything I got. Suffice it to say it was a lot. I had ordered some stuff from various vendors prior to the frolic and asked them to bring it so I could save on shipping. For example, I ordered the SMALL size Hiya Hiya needles from 1.75mm down to .70mm from Red Bird Knits and she brought it for me. I ordered the 1000 Japanese stitch dictionary and got that at the frolic. Aside from the preordered stuff I bought some sock yarn and lace yarn. Oceanwind Knits was the first stop and I only bought 1 skein of lace yarn. Then I picked up the pink version of the Jordana Paige Knitter's satchel that I asked The Needle Emporium to bring for me. You get the idea so I think I'll stop there. Now to find a safe place for the very thin knitting needles so they won't get totally bent out of shape.

I should add, I also took a class with Debbie New. She's the author of Unexpected Knitting. I took a class on Labyrinth Knitting and boy was it fun. I have to see if I can make a blanket for someone using this technique. If I get the blanket alright then I can try for other designs.

Getting There

2009-04-19T10:17:00.003-04:00

I spent most of the day at The Purple Purl yesterday trying to get as much knitting time in as possible. I finished the back of the vest late Friday night and cast on the left front right away. The left front is further along than in this picture and the front picture is the closest to the actual colour of this yarn. I'm now up to the neckline decreases and I am hoping I can finish this front today or tomorrow. I'll be very happy once all knitting is done.

I Think It's Growing

2009-04-16T20:08:00.003-04:00

Due to some unforseen circumstances at work, I managed to get a little more knitting time in this week than I thought. Hence, I now have about 20" of the back completed and just 9 more to go. I should be able to get the back done by tomorrow and then start the first front. I am beginning to think I might actually get this done in time for the frolic next Saturday. There is hope.

Pretty Pleased With Myself

2009-04-13T17:32:00.001-04:00

This past Saturday when I was at the Purl I discovered I had a mistake in the first floral repeat. I ripped out the sts and decided to try and fix it but I was rushed because I had to leave. Instead I put the sts on a holder and fixed it when I got home. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of the mess but I did manage to get the mistake fixed and knitted back up and I didn't have to rip back all the rows. This is the first time I've been able to fix a mistake in lace like that. I think part of the reason I was able to do it is because each flower is individual and I've knit this pattern so many times I just know it through and through by now. The only thing is the sts on the left side of where it was fixed has a space as you can see but I am hoping that will all go away when the blanket is blocked.

Lots of Knitting, No FOs.

2009-04-12T17:52:00.004-04:00

I've managed to get quite a bit of knitting in lately. Unfortunately, I don't really have much to show for it. I am working on the third stitch pattern on the shawl I am designing but I've had to put that aside for a while so I can think about my options and let everything digest.

I am halfway through the second set of stars in the Sweet Dreams Baby Blanket for Leah but I didn't take it with me yesterday when I went to the Purl. It's getting larger and I didn't want to take it out of the house. So, I decided to start the blanket for Adam. I'm doing the same blanket as for Leah but I am using a much thicker yarn. The yarn is Patons Country Style DK that I had in my stash. I'm surprised it's DK. It looks more like a worsted weight. I'm using 5.50mm needles and this is what I managed to do yesterday while at the Purl. I have to put this aside for a little while as well.

The reason I have to put it aside is to knit this. The pattern is called Naomi and it is from The Mirasol Collection - Book 5 by Jane Ellison. The yarn is Nuna and even though the picture doesn't look like it, the colour is teal. This is what I've managed to knit today. I did the swatch this morning and had to wait for it to dry before I could measure and cast on. Tis needs to be done by the Knitter's Frolic so no matter how you look at it I'm going to be knitting my fingers to the bone and even then I am not sure I'll get it done. I have less than 2 weeks. The back has 145 sts and I have to knit it to 29 inches on 3.5mm needles. I'm beginning to wonder what I might have gotten myself into. I just don't want to disappoint but I will do the best I can and that is all I can do.

On that note, it's back to knitting for me.

Attempting To Design

2009-04-03T17:17:00.003-04:00

Things have been busy around here as always. Today the weather is just horrible. It's been raining all day. I wish it would just stop. I've had enough of it.

The good part about rain, however, is that you don't feel guilty when you're not out in the warm sunshine. I've taken advantage of the nasty weather to make more progress on the design I've been working on. Last week I took a shawl design class at The Purple Purl. The instructor was Amy Singer of Knitty fame. The class was two consecutive Thursday's. Well I spent 5 days going through stitch dictionaries trying to find patterns I like and then just picked 3 diamond shaped motifs I liked. The class was on either triangular or rectangular shawls but I wanted to do square. It is, after all, just 4 triangles no?

This is the progress I've made so far. I am in the middle of the second stitch motif and I've almost completed 2 repeats. I think I am going to do at least another half repeat if not an entire repeat. I'll decide when I finish the second. As I look at the picture, I'm not sure if I like the 4 rounds of st st that divide the two stitch motifs either. I am not sure if I should have just done 2. I will make a final decision on that once I get the knitting done on this one and block it.

Blame It On Twitter

2009-03-15T10:27:00.005-04:00

I know I've been silent lately. You can blame it on Twitter. If you want to find me there I'm here. It's been a little easier to find the time to type something simple there than find the time to take pictures and post here.

Believe it or not, I have been knitting. I am more than halfway through clue 4 of the Mandala shawl. If you remember, I had to rip it back because I had not read the pattern through. If you look at the picture I posted and compare it to this one, you can really see the difference the beginning of the round shifts make. I am really happy with the way this is working up and as for theyarn, well it's cashmere. Need I say more?

I took a break for a few days to make something for a friend. I can't blog about it yet but I will soon. They were quick knits but I have hardly touched the shawl much over the last week. It's a combination of being too tired at night and then the surprise gift I did knit on Friday and yesterday. Now to head back to the knitting before we leave for our weekly visit to the in-laws to get the laundry done.

I Think I'm Losing It

2009-03-02T17:19:00.004-05:00

I think I'm losing it. As I posted last time, I started the Manada shawl. I got to clue 3 yesterday and hit a snag. When I received an email from Renee, I realized what the snag was. I don't know how to read. That's my problem. If I knew how to read I would have seen where the pattern states that shaded rounds are where the beginning of the round shifts. Instead, I just figured it was for beads and happily knit away. What you see here is the result. I frogged it to a spot where I could easily pick up the sts and am now in the middle of knitting chart 1 again. When will I ever learn to read a pattern through before I begin? The problem is, when I do that I usually just get confused so I don't bother. Here is a good example of why I need to change that habit.

After this disaster, I realized something else. On February 21st Shannon, and I went to Kimberly's for a spin in. I didn't get very far because I didn't like the way Lily was treadling. It felt ackward and I'd never had that experience before. Ok, I figured the wheel needed oiling so I oiled where the thing goes round and round under the treadles. It didn't help and when one of the singles of the yarn I was trying to ply broke I just gave up and chatted instead of trying to rejoin. Today (over a week later) it dawned on me that I NEVER OILED THE TREADLE HINGES!!!! Once again, I think I might have lost it. Once I get caught up on the shawl I am going to have to pull out Lily and see if oiling the hinges will solve the problem. I was really upset by the treadle trouble but silly me didn't say anything to anyone. The Little Gem has never given me this trouble before. Now I am pretty sure it was the hinges. As Esther on The Golden Girls said "Senility is a terrible thing." It sure is.

Back With Some Knitting Content

2009-03-01T12:22:00.004-05:00

I finished clue 6a on the Vernal Equinox Spring Surprise and the second Regia Galaxy sock so I decided to knit Mandala next. So far I've knit clue 1A and 2C. I am currently working on 3A. The yarn is Ecco Cashmere that I bought at The Purple Purl when they had their pre-boxing day sale. The yarn is so soft and yummy to knit with I can't believe it. I've knit with alpaca and merino but I think this is the softest by far of anything I have ever had the pleasure to run through my fingers.

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

2009-02-26T14:27:00.003-05:00

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-02-24T07:41:00.001-05:00

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

2009-02-15T20:01:00.004-05:00

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

2009-02-14T11:24:00.004-05:00

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

2009-02-11T06:31:00.003-05:00

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

2009-02-09T07:10:00.004-05:00

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

2009-02-07T07:55:00.004-05:00

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

2009-02-02T16:47:00.002-05:00

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

2009-02-01T19:22:00.003-05:00

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.)

Let There Be Light

2009-01-25T09:01:00.006-05:00

On Friday I went to the post office to pick up the latest custom spindle I had Tom from Golding Fiber Tools make for me. This one is a 2" whorl and it has the regular brass ring. It only weighs .72 oz or approximately 20 grams. Like all Golding spindles it spins like a dream and I just love it. I've been trying to get spindle spinning time in since it's been forever since I touched the wheel. I've got to get a better chair that I can use when I am at the wheel. We bought a new recliner but it doesn't work very well with the wheel so I'm looking for something. In the meantime, I've got lots of spindles so I'm having some fun with them. Yesterday I rotated between the 3 custom Goldings I have. I have some merino in a brown colourway that I bought from the Purple Purl on the Lighthouse. I have some hand carded fibre on the Unicorn and I have some alpaca (I think) on the Snowy Owl spindle. I'll probably finish the fibre on the unicorn first because there isn't that much of it.

On the knitting front I still have not finished the scarf I am working on but I have been knitting. Remember when I had startitis? Well I had knit the first sock past the heel and about halfway through the cuff when I realized I didn't like the way it looked. I knew I would never knit the second sock so I frogged the entire thing and started another sock at our last Snb on Tuesday. This pattern is called Coral Reef Socks and it's a free pattern I found on Ravelry. I wasn't sure about this pattern at first but I am liking it now. I'm knitting, as usual, from the toe up and I should get the first sock done today.

Tomorrow I hope to get to The Purple Purl to see Kate Jacobs. She's the author of the Friday Night Knit Club books. We're back in the deep freeze around here but at least it was sunny yesterday and today. It is supposed to be sunny tomorrow as well so I should be a go for the drive there.

Next weekend is the Downtown Knit Collective's workshop weekend and on Saturday I am taking a class on Japanese patterns. I am really looking forward to it. I just hope the weather will be alright because if I can get to Romni after class that's what I want to do. It's been forever since I was there.

I Cry UNCLE!!

2009-01-20T07:59:00.003-05:00

I know that Canada is referred to as "The Great White North," but this is rediculous already. Last winter we had the snowiest winter in 70 years. You'd think after that we might get a break this winter? Oh no, not this winter!! Yesterday I read this article. According to that article we have already been dumped on with 115 cm of snow. That's more than we usually get all winter. February and March are still to come and historically they are the snowiest months of the year. So we might break the all time record for snow this winter after coming oh so close last winter. I can only hope it doesn't mean this summer will be as wet as last summer.

This is what it looked like outside my in-laws' house on Sunday. We got even more snow last night. It all looks so pretty but I don't like having to drive in it or try to walk around in it.

On the knitting front, I am almost finished with the Moon Dance scarf I am making from some yarn I started a LONG time ago. I blogged about it here but other projects got in the way and it got lost in the UFO pile. DH handed me a bag 2 weeks ago and guess what was inside? I was just about finished with the Magickal Earth shawl so I decided it would be a great time to finally finish this up. I'm on the second border now and will have pictures when it's done.

I am not quite sure what is going on but last night when I finished the first border I turned the scarf around to start the second border and there was a HOLE in the scarf. This is the SECOND project I've had this problem. AGAIN it was a rip in the yarn. I promise, from now on there is no such thing as a scissor in the Go Knit bag when I have a WIP in it. I actually think I know what happeend in this case and it is my own stupidity. Now that I think back, I had a spot in the yarn that was a bit fuzzy and I ignored it. I am now thinking it must have been some sort of a knot and it let go. Anyway, the hole is fixed and, if I do say so myself, I have a difficult time finding it. I hope it will stay that way when I am done blocking.

All Dressed And Just Loverly

2009-01-12T16:44:00.005-05:00

The shawl is all dressed and it is gorgeous beyond my wildest dreams except one thing. I used the method that Sandy describes in her book to block the shawl and boy am I glad I did. I tied crochet cotton through all the points and then soaked the shawl and stretched it out over the bed. This method is really a lot easier than putting pins in every point. It saved my back.

Remember in my last post I mentioned something was worrying me about blocking? I didn't want to say it out loud because I was afraid that would make it happen. Well it didn't help. It sort of happened anyway. I was afraid I would have a dropped stitch somewhere and end up with this huge hole. What happened was this. While I was stretching out the shawl I noticed a hole in the border. I quickly took one of the coilless safety pins I had and made sure everything was secure and then finished blocking. When the shawl was dry I attempted to repair the damage. Well it turns out it wasn't a dropped stitch at all but a tear in the yarn. I have no idea how it happened. I think it was in 2 places because I had 4 ends and not just two. Well there wasn't much I could do to except try to fix it. I tied all 4 ends and used another end of yarn to make sure the hole was sealed and secure. This is the final result. Obsessive me wants to reknit the whole shawl because of this and maybe give this one away so I don't have to look at it. Crazy true but I am not kidding either.

Here are the rest of the pictures. It really did come out better than I could have dreamed. Now why did the damn thing have to tear?

A woman on Ravelry asked me if the pattern could be used as a tablecloth because she doesn't wear shawls. So I took a picture with the shawl on the table. I think it would make a very nice tablecloth but I would have to use cotton.

The unicorn is the reason I wanted to do this pattern to begin with. I have other filet crochet charts I would like to try to knit with this method but oh to find the time.

I changed the way the center is from the pattern as written. I didn't like the way the written instructions looked so I did a simple eyelet pattern that I saw someone mention on Ravelry. I am very pleased witht he way it looks.

Pure Magick

2009-01-08T19:50:00.002-05:00

It's really difficult to believe that the last time I posted was December 22nd. I have been consumed with trying to get this shawl finished. Well I took the sts off the needle about an hour ago. The shawl isn't blocked yet but I wanted to get some pictures anyway. The pattern is the Magickal Earth shawl. It's designed by Sandy Terp and so far I am pleased with the way it looks. I had a few year disasters but I'll tell all about that after the blocking.

I changed the way I did the moon section because I didn't like the way the pattern looked as written. I'll decide when it's blocked if I would do the same thing again. Now that this one is done I expect I'll find the one I started and misplaced anytime now.

I also made another change because I thought there was a mistake in the chart for the mountain and sky but I think I might like this way better.

The unicorn in this pattern is the reason I had to knit this shawl in the first place. I am a unicorn collector and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make a shawl with a unicorn.

Now to get it blocked. I hope to do that either tomorrow or sometime this weekend.

Where Does The TIme Go?

2008-12-22T17:44:00.003-05:00

I really don't know where the time has gone. It seems like only yesterday that my daughter Henny was born and Joseph is 14 today. Paul woke him up this morning to wish him a happy birthday and then he ended up staying awake. He tried to go back to bed but kept getting disturbed so he gave up. Before I left for work I wanted to give him a birthday kiss and he almost freaked. He said I could give him a hug but not kisses. When did this happen? Can I turn back the clock to the days when he was little and cute and let me give him kisses? It's not like there was anyone in the house who would have seen. Paul said that he misses the younger days and before you know it he'll be out hanging with his friends and we'll hardly see him at all. That's so true and it's scary.

Look what I picked up at the post office today. It's the second custom spindle I ordered from Tom at Golding Fiber Tools. I decided on an owl because my sister was an owl collector. I was debating between a barn owl and snowy owl. I received a sketch of a barn owl but the shape would have been the same for the snowy owl. I decide on the snow owl and wanted dark wood. The wood is Bog oak and I have to say that the pictures don't do it justice at all.

I have one more spindle in the works from Tom and then I'm done for a little while. The next one is going to be one of his scrimshaw spindles and it's going to be a lighthouse. I think I'm out of ideas for now but if I think of anything else I know where to go to have it done. The spindles spin like mad and are the most special things.

Happy Chanukkah to all that are celebrating. Good thing it's 8 days long since tonight is the start of day 2.

I'll post about my trip to the Purple Purl tomorrow or Wednesday.

Startitis?

2008-12-08T07:33:00.001-05:00

You know the problem with working on a big project? It takes a while before you can see progress. I was hoping to get the Evergreen section of the Magickal Earth shawl done this weekend. I am now in the middle of the second set of trees so I only have about 12 rounds left before I hit the unicorn section. It doesn't pay to take pictures until the evergreen section is completed.

I think I also had a bit of startitis this weekend. I started two new projects. That's the reason I didn't get the evergreen trees section finish on the shawl. The picture on the left is the first sock from the December Sockamania Club sock. The pattern is called Cables & Lace. Because of the way the heel looks with the cable going all the way down the heel flap, I've decided to do these socks from the top down. I don't usually do that but I am giving it a shot. I'm also using 2.5mm needles right now but I might switch to the 2.75mm needles after I finish the current pattern repeat. The yarn is from Maggie.

On the right is a pattern I found through Ravelry. It's called Shrimy Cowl and it's designed by Sue Adie. I am not sure if there is an error in the pattern or not but I cast on 132 sts and not 131. I also think that even though the pattern states CB4, CF4, from the picture on her bloc I think she did CF4 and then CB4. I am doing it CB4, CF4 and I still like the way it is knitting up.. The yarn is a DK weight Misti Alpaca and it is so soft. I'm just going to keep knitting until the skein of yarn has just enough to cast off and that's it. I should be able to wear it by Wednesday, I hope.

I Think I Give Up

2008-12-04T18:33:00.002-05:00

I am done getting frustrated with Joseph and school work. I can't handle it anymore. From now on I leave Joseph and his school work in Paul's hands. I don't want to know. I want him in a different school next year and Paul says if I do that Joseph will get kicked out of school. Well fine. Then he can deal with it. I'm done. We got his report card. Tonight was parent/teacher night. Paul went. I couldn't deal with it. Joseph's geography teacher said that he got a zero for the first 4 units because the time for him to take his exam expired. Joseph claims he tried to take the exam once but the code he had was the wrong code. He never tried again. I've tried giving him back the X-Box. I know he is trying harder but he refuses any kind of help. For example, he had to memorize 2 stanzas of something for his English class. I offered to test him. He went nuts and said no. I thought maybe he didn't want my help but would let Paul help. Nope. He refused help from Paul as well. He just wants to do everything on his own. Tomorrow is a PA day and target date for unit 6 is Monday. He has 26 out of 40 signatures now. Forget about geography those don't matter anymore. He can't get those units done anymore.

I'm halfway through the evergreen trees on the Magickal Earth shawl. Each round takes so long. I can't wait until I can transfer to 32 inch circulars. Thank goodness for knitting or I would be completely insane by now.

Final Day of NaBloPoMo

2008-11-30T10:43:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe that today is November 30th and the final day of NaBloPoMo. Where did the month go? It just flew by.

I finished the Get Fruity socks last night. I think if I knit these again I will do one more repeat on the leg and then do a 2x2 ribbing. I do like the pattern. The yarn is yummy. It's fingering sock yarn I bought from Maggie. I used size 2mm Knit Picks Options 32 inch circular needles and did the socks from the toe up using the magic loop method.

Now that the November socks are done I am back to working on the Magickal Earth shawl. I'm still doing the Evergreen Trees section. It's coming along slowly and I am enjoying working on it.

Day 29 of NaBloPoMo

2008-11-29T13:21:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I finally brought the car in for the last of the maintenance work. I am all caught up now and have the snow tires on the car. I really dodged a bullet this week because there was tons of snow all around us in Toronto but we didn't get anything to speak of here in the city. Can you hear the HUGE sigh of relief? If I had thought about it I would have gotten the snow tires on 2 weeks ago when I had the transmission and other fluids flushed but I didn't think of it before I went to the mechanic. I just prayed the snow would hold off and it did. Tomorrow night they say we might get hit but the last I heard it was still uncertain how much snow we will get.

I decided to take Glenna's advice and give Joseph a reward. On Wednesday night I told him I was really proud of him (which I am) for the 100% he got on his French test. I also know that he has been working very hard trying to get his units done. So I told him that he could play on his x-box for 30 minutes on Wednesday but he needed to do his work first. Well he was so busy he never did manage to get the x-box time in. Instead I told him he could have last night off. He played with his friends with x-box live and he had an absolute blast. I've forgotten how loud he can be when he gets into his games. He was laughing his head off a lot of the time. I think it was good for him. I told Joseph that if I see him continue to try and get his units done then I would continue to allow him to have Friday nights off from doing school work. We'll see how it goes.

Yesterday I spoke to 2 ex-Mary Ward students. Both told me the same thing. The school is very difficult, especially for first years. When I told them Joseph has 21 out of 40 units done they both said it's not so bad. One of the people I spoke to stuck it out and stayed at MW and completed high school. The other decided that MW wasn't for her and she left after grade 9. The other mother I spoke to told me her daughter is finishing in January and she is also behind. It's more difficult for kids these days because the government cut out grade 13 so the high school students have to complete 5 years of work in 4 years. I hope, in the end, that Joseph gets the hang of Mary Ward because if he does it will be a breeze when he goes off to Univeristy.

Day 28 of NaBloPoMo

2008-11-28T15:36:00.003-05:00

For those who know me, you know what a huge Beatles fan I am. Imagine how thrilled I was when I saw they were coming out with a Beatles Monopoly game. Since I love the Beatles, and I collect Monopoly games, what better combination could there be? There was just one problem. I couldn't find it anywhere in Canada. The game was released around the time I was in NYC in August but I didn't have time to go to Toys R Us to look for it. A few weeks ago I was looking in Toys Toys Toys because they are a US company. I was told that if the game is put out by USAopoly they have difficulty getting those Monopoly games in. Well Paul brought it home for me today!!! Imagine my surprise when he handed it to me. An early Christmas present! He said that when I told him I had looked for it in Toys Toys Toys and they told him about USAopoly he decided to check in Mind Games. They carry most of the USAopoly Monopoly games. He found it there and picked it up. Isn't he the most wonderful husband ever?

Day 27 of NaBloPoMo

2008-11-27T16:26:00.004-05:00

First, I'd like to wish a very Happy Thanksgiving to all that are celebrating.

Last night I finished the first of the Sockamania November socks. I will start the second sock in a little while and then it will be a mad rush to see if I can finish it by Sunday night. For a simple zig zag patter that goes on the back of the foot, I just couldn't seem to remember the pattern in my head. What makes it even worse is that it is really only 2 pattern rows because the first is repeated for 4 pattern rounds and the second is repeated for 4 pattern rounds. So why can't my thick head remember it? I can do the Forest Path Stole without even glancing at the chart. After a few repeats of the edging for the Magickal Earth shawl I was able to remember it in my head as well. Yet these 2 simple lines just wouldn't go in. Maybe it will happen when I knit the second sock.

Day 26 of NaBloPoMo

2008-11-26T06:39:00.002-05:00

It’s almost the end of the month and I feel the month is going to end the same way it began – with me having fits over Joseph’s school work. Yesterday he had detention AFTER school because he didn’t hand in any more units. His TA has told him he basically needs to get 2 signatures every 3 days or he gets detention. He hasn’t done it. I’ve already taken away his x-box. What else do I need to do to see to it he does his work? I am fresh out of ideas. When Joseph’s TA called, to let me know he wouldn’t be leaving school until 4:00PM, I almost cried when I hung up the phone. I don’t like Joseph having to go through all this. Even his TA knows he is a good kid and capable of doing the work. It’s just how to get him to do it. I asked that exact question and was told that taking away all privileges usually works. Since that didn’t work then he believes detention should. I’ve got my fingers crossed because I don’t know what to do next. I’m open to ideas if anyone has had similar problems and managed to get it sorted out. On the one positive note of the day yestesterday, Joseph did get 100% on his French test.

I managed to get some great knitting time in yesterday because it was snb night. I finished the heel on the first of the Sockamania November socks. I can finish this sock by Thursday. I am going to put the shawl aside so I can see if I can get the second sock done before the end of the month. It should be interesting. I think I can do it because I only work until noon on Friday and then I have Saturday and Sunday. Should be a piece of cake, I hope.

Day 25 of NaBloPoMo

2008-11-25T07:13:00.004-05:00

I saw this link on Wannietta's blog. I've knit a mini sock quite a few times. I even have a mini sock blocker swan that is full of mini socks. However, I don't think I could ever knit as tiny as what you will see in this clip from this micro knitter for Coraline. Wait for the "enter key" and the password is sweaterxxs. If you'd like more information about Coraline look here.

Edited to fix title.

Day 24 of NaBloPoMo

2008-11-24T06:28:00.003-05:00

It's the last week of November already. US Thanksgiving is this week. I'm actually going to PVR the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. I used to watch it every year and since I started working I've missed it. I can't even remember the last time I was home on Thanksgiving to be able to watch. I'm looking forward to it.

There isn't much to report about the knitting. I've gotten to row 10 of the Evergreen Trees chart but each round takes over an hour because of the stitch count so, until I get further along, progress is going to be slow.

I didn't get much knitting done on the socks either. I was too busy working on the shawl so there is no point of taking pictures of either project.

Joseph is slowly catching up at school but the progress is not as quick as I would have hoped. His TA is on his back too so hopefully between the two of us he will be all caught up before the holidays.

Day 23 of NaBloPoMo

2008-11-23T09:05:00.004-05:00

It took me most of the day yesterday but the border is FINALLY complete, grafted, and all the stitches are picked up. The grafting was a nightmare. I don't know how I managed to pull the stitches too tight when I was grafting but that's exactly what I did. So I had to loosen it one way and then work my way back to adjust the big loop I still had. Then I tackled picking up the sts. Do you have any idea how long it takes to pick up 1,152 stitches? I didn't time it but let's just say I was listening to a movie and the movie finished before I did. I'm now on row 6 of the Evergreen Trees chart so things are now moving along again. I used a 47" circular needle when I picked up all the sts but I wasn't comnfortable. I think, for me, the 47" was too long. Then I switched to Addi 40" but the join was a little difficult after a purl round. I rummaged all morning and found the 40" Knit Picks I have. I'm a much happier camper now.

Day 22 of NaBloPoMo

2008-11-22T12:22:00.002-05:00

I'm almost there! I've just completed repeat 46 on the border for the Magickal Earth Shawl. I don't have any pictures of the finshed shawl except for in the book so I direct you to missalicefaye's website to see pictures of her completed shawl. If I manage to finish the border today I am going to try and graft the two ends together today and get started on picking up the stitches. It should be lots of fun because I have to pick up 1152 sts. I think the shawl will go slower after that because I am going to have to follow the charts. Right now I know the pattern in my head but once I finish this section I'll have to start following charts once again. That will definitely slow me down. I'll have pictures once I get the border on one large circular needle.

Day 21 of NaBloPoMo

2008-11-21T23:17:00.001-05:00

One of the requirements for high school here in Ontario is you must complete 40 hours of community service before you can graduate. You have grades 9 through 12 to do it. Joseph competed in the debating competition in grades 7 and 8. The judges in the competition are high school students. He asked his gifted teacher from last year if he could help judge this year. Since he needs the hours anyway, Paul and I decided to let him go. I did tell Joseph he would have to make his way to the debating competition on his own in the morning. I was fine with that because it's just 2 buses to get there and not difficult at all. Paul on the other hand didn't like the idea and ended up taking him there this morning. I found that so interesting because on Wednesday when he needed to take the bus and subway to go to do an interview for a gifted project his group is working on, I was freaking out and Paul was a calm as could be. He said it was because Joseph would be going with 3 other people but when he went to the debate he would be alone.

Moms and dads are so different. I am making progress at letting go of the apron strings. It isn't easy but I am getting there. On Monday, when we went to the mall to try and get boots for Joseph, I let him go put his coat in the car while I stayed inside. Then I let him go to the food court to get something to drink. This was extremely difficult for me but I still did it. Baby steps.

Day 20 of NaBloPoMo

2008-11-20T06:59:00.006-05:00

On Wednesday I received this needle gauge pendant in the mail. I've tried to find it locally and I haven't had any success. It is so cute. I finally caved and ordered it from Robyn's Nest. She had the best price, by far and since I would have had to pay for shipping no matter where I ordered it the $3+ I saved on the pendant helped pay for the shipping. Lavender is my favourite colour so I had to order it in lavender. I have to say I love it and coupled ith the yarn ball and knitting needles pendant I have it is a perfect combination. It hasn't left my neck since the gauge arrived. The only down side is that the chain is too short to be able to check any needle gauges when I am wearing it. I would have to take the necklace off before I could use it. Robyn is having a promotion right now where the first 100 customers will receive a free circular needle. When I received mine with the gauge I thought it was an error. I haven't had a chance to even open the package on the needle so I can't really add anything about the needles.

10 more pattern repeats to go on the border as of last night. I think I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel where this portion of the shawl is concerned. I also almost finished the gusset of the first sock. Once that's done the heel should be done by tomorrow night, I hope. If I can stay awake the border might even be done by the end of the weekend.

Day 19 of NaBloPoMo

2008-11-19T05:48:00.005-05:00

Where has the time gone? I feel old. I remember when my brother's wife gave birth to the twins. Now Baruch is engaged. Here is my brother Menachem and my dad with Baruch on the left and Shmuel on the right. I still can't tell them apart but believe it or not they are not identical twins. According to the tests that were done when the boys were born they are fraternal twins. Makes sense I guess since my dad has a twin sister.

I am very bad with names and I couldn't spell it so I am just going to call her the bride to be with my dad.

This is my brother with his wife Chana and the twins. This time Shmuel is on the left and Baruch is on the right. Mazal Tov Baruch. I wish you and your bride to be all the happiness in the world.
I did manage to stick to my plan of getting two repeats of the edging done. So I am now in the middle of repeat 36, I think. That means I only have a dozen more to go, HOORAY! I am going to be so relieved when the border is done. I do have to say that it is going faster than it did the first time I did this. The last time it took me months and months. For some reason, I couldn't remember the pattern in my head and it was so tedious to do. This time it's going a lot faster but still not as fast as I would have liked. That's the price you have to pay when you have work everyday.

I started the gusset on the socks and should get to the heel tonight.

Day 18 of NaBloPoMo

2008-11-18T07:16:00.007-05:00

Paul and I went and bought a new microwave. The old one we bought when I was pregnant with Joseph so it's close to 14 years ago. It was making some funny noises so we figured it would be better to get it now before the other one broke down completely. The new one has a broil in it just like on the top of regular ovens. I can't wait to actually have something I want to grill so I can try it out.

As I said before, I started the Sockamania November sock on Sunday. This is the progress I have made so far. The yarn is sock yarn I bought from Maggie. The yarn is so soft and easy to work with. I'm getting used to the pattern now. After the heel the pattern is different on the front and back of the sock. What I am trying to do is get one or two repeats of the edging done per day and then get some knitting done on the sock. I am still hoping I can get the pair done before the end of the month.

I've completed 35 repeats of the edging now so that means there's only 13 more to go. If I can do 2 repeats per day I should have the edging done by the end of next week and finally get the ends grafted together and proceed with picking up those 1,152 sts.

Day 17 of NaBloPoMo

2008-11-17T05:36:00.007-05:00

To celebrate the first birthday at The Purl they had 30% off all purple yarn. Since purple is my favourite colour I couldn't resist getting some purple yarn. Originally I had only bought the Dye-Versions Bamboo Sport (shown on the left), and the Fibra Natura Yummy sock yarn. Then Sandra threw her mitten at me and I couldn't believe how soft they were. She made a pair of mittens and a cowl out of the Misti Alpaca. I hesitated for just a little bit before I bought 2 so I can knit a cowl and fingerless mitts.

I did manage to get to 33 repeats completed on the edging for the shawl. That's a bit surprising because I had a wee bit of a tumble on Saturday and when I hit the floor I used the palm of my right hand to break the fall. I iced it for a while and the swelling was so so by the time I got home. I iced it again after I got home. Now it's just turning some really funky colours. I was able to knit after the ice applications and did knit to the end of repeat 33 on Saturday. Yesterday I started the November Sockamania club sock pattern. I'm using some hand dyed yarn I bought from Maggie of Dyed in the Wool Handmade. I'm almost ready to start the gussett and will take pictures to show tomorrow.