Knitting Mangoes

knitting mangoes has....

2010-03-29T22:32:00.000-04:00

..... moved.

http://knittingmangoes.wordpress.com/

It is September....

2009-09-13T12:47:00.003-04:00

Nothing much new is on the needles except for a pair of socks for Sean. He requested cables but of course left the choice of pattern up to me. I liked this one (and so does he) and it is working out very well so far.
Dad's second sock has been started and I am almost finished the Alpine lace shawl, just two and half border repeats left. I have also started spinning again, trying to perfect my technique. I am turning this:
Into this:
And eventually it will be turned into a two or three ply yarn.

Yarn stores in Vancouver

2009-08-15T12:19:00.005-04:00

On Thursday Sarah took me to two yarn stores on Main St (in Vancouver). The first store that we stopped at was very small but it you looked into the back there was tonnes of space as they card, spin and dye their own yarn.
There was a coffee shop across the street from it so we went for a latte and a cookie and to look at our purchases. Sarah bought a spindle and some fleece because she wants to learn to spin.
I bought some delicious green yarn that I am hoping is enough to make a nice warm zip-up sweater. The cookie is a giant and delicious chocolate peanut butter with oatmeal and the latte was yummy.

The second store we hit up was Three Bags Full. We spent quite a bit of time in there as it was very hard to make a decision of what to take home with us. My sister managed to keep from buying anything herself but did some serious enabling.
I bought some beautiful Rowan Felted Tweed, enough for a sweater, and some blue sock yarn that will turn into socks for the boyfriend, if all other Christmas gifts are complete.

I finished knitting Nanny's Triangular Summer Shawl on Thursday and spent yesterday sewing on the border to the main body of the shawl. All that is left to do is weave in all the loose ends and block it, but seeing as I am on vacation and don't have all my regular supplies it may not get blocked until I am home. There should be a post of the finished project in the near future.
There has also been some serious work done on Dad's socks. The heel has been turned and now I am working on the foot. My sister's boyfriend Chet was nice enough to try them on prior to the turning of the heel to make sure they would fit a man's calf. The leg portion is nice and long, just the way Dad likes it and this makes them quite a bit of work. It's a good thing I really enjoy knitting with this yarn.

I'm back baby and in more ways than one.

2009-08-13T00:38:00.006-04:00

I will admit it has been quite some time since I have posted anything. Well nothing since the move to the new place. I'm also back in BC on vacation for two weeks (back in more ways than one; get it, I'm hilarious). It has been 8 years since I have been back "home."

Of course I brought quite a few project to keep me busy. One is my sisters scarf which will not be flying home with me. As you can see it's a pretty decent length already so any extra knitting on it is just gravy. It is my morning project while I am waiting for the coffee to kick in.

Remember Nanny's shawl? It used to be just a few inches and now the main body is done and I am just working on the edging which then has to be sewn on to the shawl before it is blocked. All the knitting should be done before I leave to get on the plane home. It is the first shawl I have made where you start at the widest end and decrease to the end. It makes the work go pretty fast.

My Alpine stole has come out of hibernation and it is at the halfway point! It should be lovely when it is finally finished.

I have restarted this shawl that made an appearance in August of 2008. I ripped it out and restarted it while on the plane. Still on the boring part but hopefully I'll plug through it and get to the interesting parts soon enough.

The one completely new thing I have to show you is Dad's Christmas socks for this year. He requested nice dress socks. For what I'm not sure. Maybe he wants to look pretty when he goes to visit his parents. The sock pattern is being improvised as I go a long and the stitch pattern is from one of Barbra Walkers Treasuries. It should turn out to be a handsome pair of socks.

I also need to post for the red cashmere sweater as it is finally done (the zipper has been sewn in) and has been worn quite a bit, however that is going to have to wait for another day as it is raining and the conditions are not ideal for a photo shoot. So I shall leave you with a picture of my booty from a trip to Granville Island and yes it does include yarn, silk yarn from a place that sold nothing but silk.

Just in case you had any doubts...

2009-04-21T20:34:00.003-04:00

....about my ability to collect yarn. Here is a fraction of my collection (the sock weight basket spilled onto the floor) that is now sadly packed in a box to make the weight of my text books much lighter.
Just a little something to entertain you until the move has finished.

Ella Rae's Vine Flower Dress

2009-03-25T17:05:00.002-04:00

This was made for a coworker who is expecting her first child. Her last day of work was last Thursday so we took her out for lunch so those of us who made her items could give them to her and then brought her back to the lab to enjoy some cake (pictures of the cake as well as cupcakes will follow the details of the dress).
Ella Rae's Dress
Pattern: Vine Flower Dress by Anne Hanson
Size: Middle size (20")
Needles: 4mm 16"- and 24"-circular needles & 3.5mm dpns
Yarn: Sublime Yarns Extra Fine Merino Wool DK
Yardage: 4 skeins
Modifications: Used a smaller needles size. The yarn is a superwash so it should be super easy to care for.

Game Day Socks

2009-03-08T12:48:00.004-04:00

Thanks to the magic powers of Ravelry I found a indie dyer from Montreal called Biscotte & Cie that sells self striping sock yarn in the Canadiens colours in a colour-way called "Go Habs Go". Well I had to have a skein, so I ordered one of the said colourway. They are either going to be my game day socks or my running socks. Possibly both. The yarn is a wool, bamboo and nylon mix so they should be lovely long-wearing socks and I am really enjoying knitting with the yarn. They are fairly plain socks as I did not want to interfer with the striping too much. These are also a great shove in the bag and go project. I don't have to many of those on the needles right now. It is also the first time I am using my Knit Picks dpns.
I'm starting to think I may need a hockey sweater to match them. What do you think?

Plugging along

2009-02-28T14:36:00.004-05:00

Someone has been asking to see the progress on Nanny's Triangular Summer Shawl. The result is some close-ups of the shawl progress so far. Not much progress will be seen as this starts at the widest point of the shawl, so progress is slow. I have finally finished the border and have started on the charts. The first row of nupps has been completed.
Lace never looks great until after the magic of blocking. See, it doesn't look like much except some bumpy knit up yarn.
The Ram's Horn sweater is moving along. I am at the armholes. The alpaca is lovely to work with. It is fairly straight-forward knitting, nothing to exciting which makes it great for TV knitting.
Also the dress for my coworkers baby is plugging along and is starting to look like an actual dress! Hopefully it will be done well before April.

Thanks to Mel and a bit of a rant

2009-02-18T17:48:00.002-05:00

Mel came over on Family Day with her nephews to meet Piper. While they were here she was nice enough to snap a picture of me in my Tangled Yoke Cardie.

I wore it to work on Tuesday and frankly I am very disappointed with non-knitters. Very few people commented on my sweater unless they either a) knew it was almost done and were looking for it or b) was a knitter. Everyone else thought it was bought at a store (and only mentioned that when I brought up the subject). I suppose I should take that as a compliment but at the same time I hear a lot of complaints from people at work on how I never wear what I knit to work and then when I wear it I find myself having to point it out to them otherwise they don't notice. Arggggg!

Caught a small case of the startitis

2009-02-16T18:35:00.003-05:00

Now that my sweater is done and looks great; the first big project of the year off the needles and in finished land, I now have the opportunity to start some more projects. One of the three projects was already started prior to the completion of the sweater but had to be ripped out and restarted, hence why it is included with the startitis.

The Vine Flower Dress is the one that had to be frogged. There was some weird stitch count and the needle size was a bit too big for the choice of yarn. I am making good headway but nowhere near where I was prior, sadly.
There is a bit of lace at the bottom and my only complaint with the pattern is that it only gives written instructions and no charted ones. So I fixed that myself.
I've also started on a shawl for Nanny. It is to be her Christmas present this year. Mom bought the yarn and of course I am left to do all the work. Here is evidence provided that it has been started.
I've also cast on a little something for myself out of "the pet". If you don't know what "the pet" is you need to go to the Purple Purl and ask. I'm sure they will show you. Alpaca........yum!

My Tangled Yoke Cardie!

2009-02-15T19:35:00.005-05:00

I was home sick this week and as usual when I'm sick higher brain function isn't at its best; it is just low enough to make the finishing tasks of knitting a sweater tolerable. Below are pictures of picking up the button bands, weaving in loose ends and of course soaking.
The Tangled Yoke Cardigan
Pattern: by Eunny Jang in Interweave Knits Fall 2007
Size: 34" size
Needles: 3.5mm 24" circs, 3.25mm 32" circs and 2mm 40" circs
Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed in Wheat
Yardage: 6 complete balls and a touch off the 7th
Modifications: needle size to get correct gauge and I made the sleeves longer.
Notes: I knit this at the smallest size in spite of the fact that I am a 36" chest and am very glad that I did. After blocking it had no negative ease so I suppose it must have stretched some and the fit is perfect.

I finished sewing on the buttons at the Purple Purl today and got many compliments. It is a very nice sweater and I think it will get a lot of wear. I am very pleased with how this turned out. There are several pictures below to show off the finished product. I apologize that they are not the greatest, but what can you do when there is no one else around to help take the pictures? Enjoy.

Yum! Alpaca!

2009-01-31T15:37:00.002-05:00

The alpaca has been plied and the twist set. Who would have known that all the parrot-related items in the house would come in so handy when it came time to dry a skein of yarn!
Here is a picture of the skein in dried form with the second arm of the sweater I am working on with the finished arm sitting there mocking me.
I must say that knitting the arms are the most tedious boring parts of sweater making and what is worse you have to make two of them. I can't wait to get it finished so I can get back to the meat of the sweater and play with the cabling.

I ended up doing a two-ply of the alpaca. I figured more yardage would give me more options. My very rough calculations lead me to believe that I have over 100m. Now I just need to find a pattern.

A close up with a penny for scale.

Blowing snow

2009-01-28T17:33:00.002-05:00

Well the snow has finally stopped falling from the sky, but that isn't stopping the wind from blowing it all over the place. A good evening to stay in and knit or spin a little while drinking a hot cup of black currant tea.
The above picture is the tangled yoke sweater which I finished in 16 days in the fall of '07 (it had a brief blog appearance here). I never got to wear it. When I first blocked it my aunt moved it when wet (I know; I have no clue what she was thinking) and it was all misshaped. That was when it may have fit. It probably would have been a tad too big but still wearable. I tried about 6 months ago to reblock it and well I tried the washing machine which didn't do anything bad to the yarn, it didn't shape well (spin cycles are the devil). It was also when I discovered it was way to big on me. I was shrinking when I made it and silly me made it for the size I was and not the size in-between size I was then or the smaller size I am now. My mother loves the fact that I'm not great with sizing as she is now the owner of the sweater (the second one of which no longer fits me).

I've come to realize how much I truely love this sweater and have after much consideration decided to give it a second go. I made the trip down to Romni and picked up the yarn. The weird coincidence being that the only colour they had enough balls that wasn't an awful pink colour was the exact colour used in the pattern. I wish they had one more ball of the pale blue I saw. I also looked at a lot of the completed projects on Ravelry and realized I like this pattern most when it had a bit of negative ease, so I am making the smallest size.

I have the body done up to the armholes (still considering adding a little extra length), one sleeve done and the second sleeve on the needles. The sleeves I've had to add a few extra inches of length due to the fact I have almost freakishly long arms. I've also already picked out some buttons!
On a completely unrelated spinning note.... I have finally finished spinning up singles today from the lovely alpaca fibre I received from Unravelling Sophia in the vintage swap! I'm going to let them rest today and ply them tomorrow. I'm still trying to decide between a two-ply which will give me a lot more yardage or a three-ply which will hide my thin and thick spinning (it's not that bad, but I tend to notice these things). I'm thinking it will have to be knit up into something that at least has a vintage look to keep with the theme. Any suggestions?

First non-lace scarf ever.......

2009-01-18T10:18:00.003-05:00

..... to have been finished by these hands. It might help it was malibrigo; it also could have been the really cold weather that called for a scarf that can wrap around the neck and face. It was finished last night and didn't leave my neck the whole time we were at the Rex listening to swing, blues and jazz (except when other people were feeling it up).
The Purple Smoke Scarf
Pattern: my own (matches the toque and mittens)
Needles: 6mm 16" circulars
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted in Alpine Pearl
Yardage: 2 skeins plus the leftovers from the toque and mittens (almost another full skein)
Notes: It is a very long scarf, much taller than me even with me raising my hand above my head. It is also very soft and yummy and I have to say the cable pattern I worked out immediately after I bought the yarn works very well with this colourway. A lot of people have been tricked into thinking it is a reversible cable pattern.

An update or two

2009-01-10T12:34:00.003-05:00

Well the Sky is Falling sweater has come out of hibernation and I have been working on it again. I am up past the armholes and if I can dedicate some time to it, I will be working on the sleeves soon.
I am also making very good progress on the scarf and have finished the leftovers from the toque and mittens and just have the last skein to wind to a ball and knit up and it will be finished! It should be very warm on those cold, windy days. There is something to be said for worsted weight and scarves if you aren't doing lace!
Oh and this just went into the oven.......my first try at this cranberry banana bread.

First finished object of 2009

2009-01-04T19:10:00.003-05:00

I've decided to try a new way for posting finished projects for the year of 2009 and so you know, I might actually post all finished objects!

So without further adieu here is the first finished project of the new year.
The toque of the Purple Smoke Winter set.
Pattern: My own (to match the mittens and scarf also of my own design)
Needles: 5mm 16" circular and dpns
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted in Alpine Pearl
Yardage: less than one skein

Now I just need to finish the scarf!

Watch out for that giant lizard!

2009-01-04T10:40:00.002-05:00

I spent New Year's Day at the Purple Purl's pajama party and had a blast. While there I got to see one of the women working on her Lizard Ridge blanket and fell in love. It uses Noro which usually I think is way too scratchy for against the skin, but is very gorgeous thanks to the way the colour changes. Although sometimes the colours are also way to bright for me personally to wear. But as a blanket well I'll already have a layer to protect me from the scratchiness and I can enjoy the colours without having to wear them. I will most likely need twenty-five of these blocks to make the blanket and I am having a blast whipping them off (as you can see two are already done). Another great thing about this blanket is you don't have to buy all the yarn at once since each square should be a completely different colourway. The goal is to hopefully have this done by January 2010. It just may happen as this does make great TV knitting.
And to help ring in the New Year, here is a picture of Piper enjoying one of her most favorite treats (it's chicken and if you think I can have some without sharing, think again). On January 2nd I have officially had her for one year!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T09:34:00.000-05:00

Wishing everyone all the best in 2009!

A Chrismas Yarn...

2008-12-28T15:13:00.008-05:00

Well on the 23rd of December I quickly finished up Dad's socks, the Gentlemen's Half Hose pattern from Nancy Bush's Vintage Socks while finishing off the Christmas baking (cookies & lavosh) and packing for my train the next morning. I snapped a quick picture before they were soaked.
I had also recently finished my mittens while at the Purple Purl on Sunday. The girls have convinced me to write up the pattern. Yummy malabrigo on 4mm needles. They have proven to be very warm.
Christmas eve saw me off on the train to Ottawa. Dad picked me up from the Fallowfield station and we headed over to Nanny and Poppa's to say Merry Christmas before heading off to the farm. When we got to the farm we had a bit of supper, watched Christmas movies and had a visit from the Christmas eve mouse! Isn't s/he cute?!
Christmas morning saw the opening of gifts. Mom received the hat she is modeling below. It is my own handspun and my own impromptu pattern. She also received a lovely skien of malabrigo sock yarn in a rust orange to knit herself up something nice.
Dad's feet are seen here modeling his socks. They fit him perfectly. The only change I made to the pattern was to make them half an inch longer. Turns out that made them the perfect size! They are just the type of socks he said he wanted, nice and long to peep over the edge of his work boots. He's requested a nice pair of dress socks for next Christmas in a navy blue colour.
Here is a picture of my Christmas booty. My mom made me a hat, scarf and mittens. They are very nice and I finally have a hat that is not a toque or baseball hat that actually looks good on me. The mittens are very warm. Trust me I tried them out doing the activites in the pictures further below. The thermos is from my Dad and should keep soup or stew piping hot for up to 24 hours. It can also keep things cool for the same length of time. The purple and green yarn is from my sister. The purple yarn is Briggs and Little. The colour is gorgeous, but B&L is not known for their softness. Hopefully it will soften up with a little washing. I was thinking of making a throw out of it for my couch. I have a pattern that I think will do nicely. The green yarn is Indigo Moon sock yarn in the colourway cedar. I almost bought myself a skein of this on Sunday and am really glad the little voice in my head told me I could wait. These two skeins will become knee-high socks. Now I'll just have to find a skirt to wear them with. She also got me earrings but those were in my ears already and hence why they are not in the picture.
Here is a picture of me in my gettup from my mom (if you look really carefully you can see some of the earrings) and my aunt who also received a scarf and hat from my mom.

After all the food on Christmas day and the sleigh ride, I spent Boxing day outside snowshoeing (Dad caught up to me, I took a detour to the pond). And then I tried a little cross-country skiiing with my Uncle. (click to enlarge any of the photos)

Happy Holidays!

It's that time of year again........

2008-12-20T13:02:00.004-05:00

....where the Christmas baking must be done. These are the gingersnaps I've been working on today. I used fresh ginger instead of dried (I would have put a whole lot more ginger in too, if I didn't have to share with people who prefer the blander version) and I changed just under half the flour to whole wheat (I use Red Fife because it tastes nutty instead of bitter). They turned out very well.

I have been working on a scarf for my sister. She bought the yarn and picked out the stitch pattern and I've turned it into a scarf pattern. You can't see a lot of the pattern in this picture because it's not stretched out, but it does give you a vague idea.
It has been cold here lately so I've started making myself a winter set which will include a scarf, mittens and a toque (haven't started the toque yet). I started the scarf then realized I should probably make the mittens and toque so that whatever yarn is left from those could go into the scarf and that way I won't have lots of yarn leftover. The yarn is malabrigo and it is a gorgeous colourway. It is grey and white with hints of purple and blue.
I've almost forgot to show the rush toque and gloves I made while I was up in SSM to keep my fingers and head warm. The gloves are the first pair I have ever made.

The Vintage Yarn Swap

2008-12-09T20:33:00.000-05:00

My vintage swap box arrived just before I left for Sault Ste. Marie and TC was getting right in there digging into the box. I took me a while to figure out why he was so excited.....
...until he found what he was looking for. It didn't last very long. He had the catnip guts removed and was rolling in them pretty soon after this picture was taken.
Piper also got a little something in the box too!
And this was also found in the box!!!!!!! So many goodies!
The coffee was excellent as is the tea and as for the other snacks, I can vouch for their tastiness as well. The movie "Cold Comfort Farm" was very good and the alpaca fibre is being spun. I've almost finished spinning my singles and it spins like a dream!
It was a great swap!

Home again

2008-12-06T10:22:00.003-05:00

The lack of blogging due to the month of November was mainly because I was in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario for work without internet access where I was staying (okay there was but I didn't find that out until the second to last day I was staying there).

I did a lot of work on Dad's socks. I realized the socks I was working on where the yarn was picked here had even less yardage than the ones from last year and were going to end up looking like ankle socks on him. So I went back to another pair I had started for him ages ago. They are proper man socks that are long enough in the leg that they can be worn comfortably in boots. They even have some nice calf shaping and look nice and manly. They are also made of superwash wool and have a thread of nylon running through them so they should last a long time. The pattern is Gentleman's Half House from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks. I had plenty of time to work on them up in the Soo. One as you can see is complete and I am at the heel on the second one. They are very roomy on me so I hope they should fit him perfectly.
My green silk lace went under reconstruction. As I was knitting it up in my design I realized it was too complicated and was not showing off the colourway (and the purpose of this piece of lace is to show off the gorgeous colourway). So I switched to a very simple ostrich pattern that I think does an excellent job at focusing all the attention on the yarn.

My sister was in town recently and she was wearing a toque I had made that I had never gotten a picture of her in. So I took the opportunity while I had it. Too bad she wasn't wearing that red sweater I made that I have been waiting for a picture of her in for quite some time. Mojo, if you are serious about stockings for your kilt you may want to take a picture of her in her sweater for me, please!
I can only show a little tidbit of the next finished object as the person it is for reads this blog. It is made from my own handspun!
There are some other things I realize I forgot to blog about that happened before I left for SSM and they will be the topics of future posts (like the vintage yarn swap I participated in).

Cute Factor

2008-10-26T08:56:00.005-04:00

Well the red cashmere sweater is blocked after I finally picked up stitches along the edging and used the I-cord cast-off I used along the neck and hem. I did sew in a zipper, realized it was a dress zipper after all that hard work was done and took it out. I need to find another fine zipper or eye and hooks to close the front. It fits beautifully and I can't wait to start wearing it! Everyone who touches it is absolutely in love with it, but then who wouldn't be; it's cashmere and I have 4 and a half balls left to enjoy to make something else. Now that is the birthday present that keeps on giving.
I started my next sweater shortly after the majority of knitting was completed on the red sweater with the silky Malabrigo yarn I bought at the Purple Purl (it was on sale). Here is the little swatch I made:
It is going to have deep lacy ribbing at the bottom and a deep V-neck with same said ribbing and full length sleeves. I'm going to call it "The Sky is Falling" sweater. I am making pretty good progress so far. See:
I love the subtle tonal changes of the blue.

I've started on my own lace design. It is a wide scarf/stole. I made a little swatch out of some leftover lace from another project just to make sure it would look pretty.
The bottom part is an Estonian star pattern and will be the border and the top is from the 2nd Barbra Walker stitchionary and is called "Faun Eyes". I'm slightly obsessed with it and it is true knitted lace as there are yarn overs and decreases on both the right and wrong sides. This stole is being made from the Indigo Moon hand-dyed silk I got from the Purple Purl booth at the K-W Knitters Fair. I wanted to do something special with this yarn and what is more special than something you've designed yourself? I've already started.
Ah yes and the cute factor promised in the title. Here it is.
PS. Piper met her first little people yesterday (Mel's nephews who are 6 and 4). She really liked them and they loved to play her favorite game with her which is you give her something, she throws it and you pick it up and bring it back to her so you can start all over again.

Hmmm, Cashmere, Yummmm!

2008-10-11T20:56:00.006-04:00

The red cashmere sweater is almost complete. I just have to add the bands on the front and then add the zipper! I can't wait til I can wear it! It is so soft against the skin and I have 4 skeins of yarn leftover to do something else with (This sweater has taken up just over four skeins so far). Yummy cashmere. One can never have enough.
The Boing! scarf has been finished for a while now but it took til the beginning of this month to finally block it. I love this scarf. It was an easy lace pattern that was just challenging enough to keep me from getting bored yet simple enough I could still watch TV. I pretty much followed the pattern; the only different thing I did was to add a few extra repeats and I still have quite a chunk of yarn left. I've been wearing it quite a bit and love the feel of the Malabrigo lace against my neck (so very soft).
Two projects that have been hibernating have come back out. I have started again on Dad's Xmas present. The heel has been turned and I just have to finish the gussets and move onto knitting the leg. I was knitting them this evening, enjoying a beer and the Habs game. Currently they are whooping the Leafs 6 to 1. Go Habs Go! The construction is one of Cat Bordhi's toe up socks and the pattern is one I found in a stitch dictionary, called ears of corn. I have named these socks the Blue Corn Socks. Hehe that is a no brainer, eh?
I've also been working on the Alpine Knit Scarf from Victorian Lace Today. Don't let the name fool you; it is definitely a stole and has a true knitted lace border which I am absolutely fascinated with (not that this picture shows it).
Last week I took a spinning course at the Purple Purl and ended up staying almost the entire day knitting after the class. I found the series of stitch dictionaries I have been trying to find for a while! I also bought two more skeins of Malabrigo sock yarn in gorgeous colourways. I may have to take my mother there the next time she visits and maybe my sister when she comes to visit.
Oh and last but not least I've joined a yarn swap with a vintage theme. I've found two swap items for my swap buddy (both are related). It is very fun hunting for items you hope they will like.

PS. Little sister I believe I was promised a picture. I'm still waiting!!!!!!! And if you are going to torture me by making me wait for my box, could you at least send a picture of the yarn you put in the box?

Purple Purl

2008-09-24T18:52:00.004-04:00

While up on the farm my mother gave me two cones of bulky weight yarn because and I quote "it doesn't felt." I did a little swatch and I got gauge for a pattern of a peacoat that it will be turning into. Mind you it will be slowly since the yarn is not gentle on the hands and it's not soft so it will be perfect for outerwear.
I have also gone back to my spinning. I started this black alpaca a while ago and put it aside for the reason I always put aside my spining. Because it always breaks on me when I try to make it as thin as I want it. I got a great tip on Sunday from the Stashaholic (Ravelry handle) while I was at the Purple Purl (great little knitting store that actually encourages you to hang around and knit and chat). She told me to treadle faster and draft less. It works like a charm and I got through the rest of that bag so easily. Here are the singles. I have two more bags to spin up.
One sleeve of the shrug is done and the second sleeve is on the needles. There has been some more headway since this picture was taken. The knitting part may be finished as soon as tomorrow.
While chit chatting at the Purl I made a few purchases. I bought a Malabrigo pattern book and "Knitting without Tears" by Elizabeth Zimmerman. And these are the new stash purchases. Can anyone say yum!
I will be taking a spinning course at the Purl in the beginning of October. I've heard my teacher is really good and I can't wait!

Update Part II: The K-W Knitters Fair

2008-09-20T11:00:00.006-04:00

Disclaimer: If you haven't read Part I yet, scroll down and read it first.

Mel and I took our annual trip to the K-W Knitters Fair held by the Kitchener-Waterloo Knitter Guild. We arrived late since we take the VIA train up there (next year we will be taking a car and will be getting there early). We paid and went in and thought we were going to be okay. The room didn't seem as crowded as last year and thought we would have enough time to thoroughly check out all the goods. Well one of the organizers overheard us and said "oh I overheard you and thought I should let you know that there is a second ballroom full of vendors." If you only could see the look of sheer panic on our faces! There was way too much to see and not enough time to go through everything, hence our resolve to drive up and get there early next year!

I managed to stay within budget (which sadly wasn't very large). I am starting a jar to put cash in throughout the year and whatever is in it will be spent at the Knitter's Fair.

Here is the list of spoils:
A kit for a shrug with malabrigo yarn from Spun Fibre Arts. I cast it on immediately (even before we got on the train to go home). We talked with the designer who let us try on the samples. I didn't want to take off the one made with malabrigo. I could have lived in it. Mel liked the black one better. The yarn was silk and merino and has more drape than malabrigo. We will be taking a picture of the two of us together in them when they are completed. This is what I have done so far. Yes this is the project that the cashmere sweater was cast aside for. If you knew what malabrigo felt like you would understand. That and it is a quick knit.
Some laceweight yarn that was dyed here in Ontario and reminds me of the ocean when it's that moody green colour on a sunny day.
I also found some lovely silk laceweight from a dyer in BC at the Purple Purl booth! I talked with they owner of Indigo Moon on Ravelry. She is very nice and gave me some great tips for keeping the dye as bright and beautiful as possible when washing. She also told me this colourway is a one-of-a-kind that will probably never happen again! I must find an extra special pattern for it.
I also got a pattern. It is suppose to be for a baby blanket but I thought with a little alteration it would make a great stole or scarf! And it only cost me $1! Mel picked up several Fiddlesticks patterns for $6 a piece (that's half price people for gorgeous patterns).
I also picked up some 6mm addi turbo circulars for the shrug and a chibi which is a darning needle holder so you don't lose your needles!

Here is some free advertising for those vendors that gave reuseable bags to carry your stuff in instead of plastic!
That's all for now folks! Hope the updates were worth the month long wait.

Update Part I: Vacation at the Farm

2008-09-20T10:38:00.004-04:00

The animals and I spent the first week of September up at my parents farm for my first paid vacation. It was nice and relaxing even if the TV was on more than it should have been. Here is a little summary with pictures:

Mom and Piper enjoying the "great outdoors".
TC enjoying being outside.
Dad and I went on an ATV trip with Peter from Top of the Mountain ATV Tours.
Which had great view from the top of hills; "mountain" is a bit of a stretch in this part of the country, especially when the girl you're trying to convince is from BC.
Dad and Piper hung out. Piper has a thing for men. She is much more picky about which women she will keep company with, just ask Tori.
Oh and some knitting did get done. TC was voluntold to model it.
The red cashmere sweater is alive again and on it's third incarnation. The first incarnation was to be a tunic with a high waist that was knit way too many sizes too big and was thus frogged. The second incarnation was as an arrowhead lace top, which became too big when I lost some weight. And now it is a cardigan with cables. However it is a on a wee bit of a hiatus. But only for a short while until the project on the needles is done (will be seen in part II).

Saturday Morning

2008-08-23T11:01:00.004-04:00

A nice leisurely Saturday morning is always pleasant. Breakfast was delicious, as seen below:
It was a cold latte (the coffee which is espresso strength was made Toddy style, otherwise known as cold-brewed and gives it a sweet mellow taste without added sugar; the milk is organic), my homemade apricot preserves (nice and tart the way I like it; the apricots are from a friends backyard),
....some homemade yogurt with spices and vanilla,
... as well as the last scone from the freezer and some cherries. It was very delicious.

I no longer have to rush to get Dad's socks done and they can now be a Christmas present instead of a birthday present as his surgery has been pushed back and he can now join me on the ATV trip. These will probably go on a bit of a hiatus for now, but I'm sure they will show up in the blog again later this year.
And here is a little video to demonstrate what a hard life Piper has:

the count is in and you have voted for......

2008-08-12T18:24:00.003-04:00

Well the voters have voted and since I agree with the chosen yarn, the socks have been started. Besides just the colour this is a really good choice for the yarn to become Dad's socks. The reason? Because (a) it is machine washable and (b) maybe the more important one, this is a merino and seacell yarn by Fleece Artist (seacell is a nice word for seaweed). This makes the yarn incredible strong. How strong you ask? So strong that I have to use scissors, I can't just break the yarn no matter how hard I pull. They should survive Dad's regular usage just fine. Oh yes and here is the picture:
I think the pattern is manly enough that the other guys won't pick on him too much. My friends husband said it looked fine, so we'll go with that.

I've also started a little something for me. Yes it is more lace. Cause you can never have enough on the needles in my opinion. It is a silk yarn that is so fine it might be cobweb weight. It is a black yarn with blue and green and this picture does not do it justice. Oh another thing, I might just be a wee bit obsessed with this one.
Oh and the fact that I am posting more often; well that might just have something to do with the new computer. It's just soooo much easier now!

more updates and manly sock vote

2008-08-09T10:42:00.003-04:00

This has been the project on the needles for a while. It's been the portable project and is now the full length the pattern recommends but if you noticed I still have quite a bit of yarn left. I'm going to keep knitting til the yarn runs out or I'm sick of it and bind off! The pattern is on of Knitspot's (http://www.knitspot.com/knitting_pattern/). It has been very enjoyable mindless lace knitting. Not to mention it makes the laceweight Malibrigo look stunning!
If you look back through some of the older posts you will remember I had posted a picture of the start of these. The first one is finished and the second one had been started but then summer came and the need for socks diminished and so did the knitting of them. So here they are waiting for the cool weather to come.
I added a little lace detail at the top for some added entertainment.
This is a post of another thing that was shown in a previous post. It has gotten bigger as well, but hasn't been worked on much lately. The details don't show up to well in this picture but then it isn't stretched out the way lace needs to be to really appreciate it.
Dad needs a new birthday present since he is becoming an invalid and can't enjoy the one I was planning on getting him. So here is a selection of manlish sock yarns. Which one should be turned into a pair of socks for him (the one thing he can't have too much off)? The man likes handmade socks so much he is willing to wear them even if the look girly (trust me I asked). However we have no plans of testing that theory right now.

some finished objects

2008-08-03T12:13:00.002-04:00

Since it has been a while since I have posted there are lots of things to be updated on. Far too many for this one post, so hopefully there will be a series of posts in this blogs future. One can hope, right?

The last time mom came to visit she brought down a little present for TC. It was suppose to be a mat for him to sit and sleep on, but he refused to do either. However he does love it in a toy capacity. Especially if it has been spiked with catnip.
The sweater for my sister has been finished and is in a box ready to send. I just need the packing tape to close it. Another feather and a note have been added since this picture was taken.
After that sweater was done this was started on the needles:
Which quickly became this three weeks later. I have worn it but I haven't had the chance to get anyone to take a picture. I did get several compliments when I wore it to work!
There are a few other things on the needles as well as something I finished a while ago and am just blocking now that was never posted about. Those will hopefully be the subject of future posts!

custom fit socks

2008-06-01T10:16:00.006-04:00

Dearest Mommy, do remember back when I was in Ottawa and I was trying to find that sock book at they Yarn Forward in Kanata but the only had it in the downtown store? Well I managed to find a copy of it at Lettuce Knit. And do you remember that lovely sock yarn you introduced me to at Romni and I ended up buy 3 skeins (so much for being good)?

Well the book is New Pathways for Sock Knitters and it basically allows you to make any of their unusually constructed socks, customed exactly to your foot, based on measurements of your foot and the gauge of the yarn knitted up. I used the lovely blue colourway I bought and made these:
They are the Coriolis socks. They are knit toe up and the increases for the gusset area are increased along that little spiral on the socks you should be able to see. (Kitty paws)
The book even gives you the standard measurements of each foot size if you want to make a pair of socks for someone, but don't have the measurements particular to their foot. As it turns out almost all my measurement correlate for a shoe size 5 except for the length of my foot which is for a size 8. I finished these socks yesterday and then promptly wore them for the rest of the day. They happen to be the most comfortable and perfect socks I have ever worn, including out of all my handmade ones. Custom fit socks are wonderful things.

Shortly after I finished my socks and finshed dancing around in them I finished knitting the red blob. The ends just need to be weaved in, which is dependent on an email I was told I would receive, otherwise you can weave in the ends yourself my dearest sister. It isn't the easiest garment to get on. I recommend putting your head through the head hole and then put your arms in the sleeves; it makes the whole putting it on thing much easier. Can't wait for you to send me a picture of you in it.

After that was completed I promptly started another pair of socks with the green and peach colourway of that lovely sock yarn we bought (Mommy bought the exact same skein). This time I am trying the riverbed sock pattern. I can't wait to see how this colourway knits up. Will it spiral like the blue one or do something completely different?

And for anyone who might like a custom fit pair of socks one day in the unexpected future these are the measurements of your foot that I would need you to email me so I can keep record of them and use them as the mood strikes me. When taking the foot length measurement, make sure you are standing and putting weight on it and use something flat to make sure your heel is on the 0 inch marker and something flat again to measure where your toe ends.

That's all for now folks!

Bad Habs, bad bad Habs

2008-04-27T08:55:00.004-04:00

Yesterday and today I had the same thing for breakfast. Some delicious cranberry scones and coffee. I was going to have banana bread today for brekkie, but it would take too long and I was hungry. So I'll have it for brekkie for tomorrow. The scones were good though. Somebody else enjoyed them as well, as you can see: I'm currently working on the sweater. See I have proof: However I had just enough yarn to finish the knitting part (I had to scavenge just to finish that) but not enough for the assembly so there will be an accent colour at the shoulders. I just have to assemble the other side and see if it works the way they said it shall. I'm closer to rescuing my ransomed presents. I haven't decided which of these two below to work on this morning.

Decisions, decisions. And we shall not discuss the disappointing game last night.

Yarn and Breakfast

2008-04-20T09:53:00.004-04:00

Well to start I finally have a picture of the first sweater that I ever knit that has now been inherited by my mother since it no longer fits me. It is a merino/cashmere blend and a lovely sweater. I may have to make myself another, but in a size that will fit. It was slightly on the large side to begin with and then when I got smaller and it didn't; well at least it will be put to good use now! If I do make it again I think I will make it into a cardigan though. Hmmm something to think about.I have managed to get my hands on some lace weight malibrigo. Hehehe. Oh the yarn store where I found this also has normal malibrigo (in case someone was coming to visit in May and say wanted to pick up some). It is very lovely to work with and the subtle variations in the colour way I picked are quite pleasing. I had a scone, pineapple and some coffee for breakfast this morning. I made a batch of ginger scones and froze the dough, so I can take them out one at a time and bake them fresh when I'm in the mood. They are very delicious. I'm thinking of making another batch for the freezer so I can alternate between ginger and cranberry. Yum!

Dad's socks are finished, but I don't have a picture of them on his feet so you will just have to imagine them until the time I can get a picture. Apparently new fangled computers are to complicated to email pictures on. My sister's sweater is still ongoing. I'm much closer to finishing but haven't done so due to my freaking out over possibly not having enough wool to finish.

What should and should not be.....

2008-03-01T11:16:00.003-05:00

Well now that I am all moved in I have started knitting again and have just been bad and have not been posting. I'm still working on two christmas presents. One of them being Dad's socks. I did run out of yarn and had to take out both socks to shorten the legs of both so that I could finish the second sock which is close to completion. I think they should last a long time since they are superwash and I am knitting this yarn on smallish needles for it's weight. Dad if you are reading this you better take good care of them and do exactly as your wife tells you when it comes to care and washing of them. They are one of a kind and designed just for you!
I am also still working on the red blob. I purposefully took this picture so you couldn't figure out what was going on with it (since it is going to remain a surprise for the receipent til the day she gets it). I just wanted to prove that progress is being made and as a matter of fact it's gotten slightly bigger since I was working on it while waiting for these photos to load. I am however slightly worried that I will run out of yarn. But we may just make it by the skin of our teeth!
I also have two projects that technically I really shouldn't be working on since I should be spending all my time and energy on the two above projects (at least in the eyes of the recipents). These lovely socks I started when I finished that red pair I started with yarn from Rita (picture to follow in a later post). I quite like this sock pattern, but I changed the heel from a flap heel to a short row heel since I find them so much easier to knit and slightly more comfortable on my feet.
The second of the two illicit projects is this pretty little thing. It's a scarf which in of itself is shocking but I'm finding the pattern quite pleasant and enjoy turning out the little leaves.

By the way I'm still waiting for a picture of a certain somebody in a sweater that was given to them that was made by me. Hint hint.

Houston I think we might have a problem

2007-12-22T12:48:00.001-05:00

Can anyone tell what might be the problem here?I think we may have a problem with reaching the toe without running out of yarn. I'm just hoping that what I need to rip back from the first sock will cover what is needed for the second sock; otherwise it is creative knitting time.

And the quick one off-er is ready to start decreasing and be done with in a few hours, when I can find the time! Christmas is just to busy.

And that is it and all folks. Just a quick post 'cause I'm suppose to be busy knitting you know!

Christmas time already?

2007-12-16T09:40:00.000-05:00

Well it is that time of year and even though I try to keep myself knitting for Christmas I somehow get suckered into it. Usually it is my own doing.

This should be a pretty quick one off-er. If there is time it may have something else accompanying it that should also be a pretty quick one off-er.

The spinning wheel is not dead. Mind you I did do this a few weeks ago and haven't had a chance to continue with it (you know with that xmas knitting I've taken on kind a puts a damper on the fun I want to have). There are is another bobbin full that is not shown here. I know it's really bright and I really don't care.

Here is one of those things I suckered myself into for a man who I have already given every tool imaginable to (in conjuction with my sister) and since he really doesn't need any ties etc since he is retired this is the only thing I could come up with that I know for sure he really wants and will make good use of. How do I know that? Because he gave me double pointed needles in my stocking last Christmas in two different sizes with note saying "Hint, Hint" on it. I'm sure you can't get more subtle than that!
One is already done, but I think I will have to take out the toe and make it a little smaller. I've had some people with similar foot sizes try them on and it appears I made the foot slightly too long. The good news is that I don't have to rip it out too far. I have decided however to finish the second one first and then go and correct the first one.

Here is a close up of the stitch pattern. I think it looks manly enough and the colourway has absolutely nothing girly about it. Although if he wants homemade socks as badly as I think he does I wonder if he would wear a girly colourway? Anyways, I have named these the "Manly Man Socks".

And since I can't post the red sweater without giving too much away since that someone actually reads the blog I will distract you with lacy shawl/scarf that sadly hasn't been worked on in the past few weeks either.

Well who knew.....

2007-11-17T12:06:00.000-05:00

....cause I certainly didn't realize people were reading this (and by people I know it's mainly family). I definately couldn't tell. If you don't leave comments complaining about the lack of posts, I just assume no one is reading and can be lazy. Apparently I can't and have been told by my mother to start posting again.

Just so my little sister knows, I have evidence that I have been working on your Christmas present (now that I have the pattern again); here it is:So can you tell what has changed since the last time you saw it in August? Figure out how the sweater is going to work yet? Oh by the way, the second pattern I bought that I lost before I refound the first pattern has now been located. There are two patterns in rotation again, increasing your odds of the sweater getting done sometime this millenium. That is until another yarn and/or pattern comes and lures me away.

These were finished awhile ago and are just being posted now. They are my own sock pattern as well as being my first attempt at toe up socks and short row heels. Oh and they are made from lovely yummy Koigu!

Now for those of you that I have not pointed this out to, can you tell how I tried to combat SSS (second-sock syndrome)? Look really closely:

Five points for the person who figures it out excluding those of you that I pointed it out to. I know who you are (or at least I think I do). Maybe I'll keep up a tally of points and eventually give something knitting related to the person with the most points.

I signed up to join the Ravelry.com community a while ago and recently got the invite. I had completely forgot about it. It is pretty cool. It is suppose to help you keep track of your projects (finished and in progress) and stash. There is also the community aspect in the form of groups to join and forums to chat in. I recently added my entire collection of stashed Koigu into the stash tracker. It will take awhile before I even get half my stash on there. Anyway here is a picture of all the Koigu I have secreted away:

And no it is not a lot of yarn (to me) and no I can never have enough of it. Stop looking at me like that. You never know when that truly horrible day well come when yarn is no longer available (gasp). One must be prepared! That and you don't always want to have to run the yarn store just so you can start a project.

I also have a lace scarf (0r small shawl depending on how you use it) on the needles. But lace never looks very pretty until it is blocked so you can wait for an in progress shot, I'm sure. I also finished a shrug (pretty quick knit that one). It will be a picture in a later posting.

In other news Tequi has a few flight feathers that grew in after his last trim that have not gone under the scissors due to the not going outside because it's too cold for a species from Africa, and as a result he's been doing a little flying. He is exceedingly proud of the fact he can fly (though not very well, but getting better) and that is how he ended up here:
He has ended up many other unusual places, but this was the only time I remembered to take out the camera.

Til next time.....

2007-09-01T09:27:00.000-04:00

Well I was very bad and seemed to miss posting the entire month of August. So to make it up, I am going to show the various projects I am willing to admit are on the needles.

First after finishing the Peacock Feathers shawl I cast on one for a friend of mine who does not know she is getting it so there are no deadlines. No deadlines is a very good thing, since I enjoy knitting and not necessarily having finished products lying around. It is a pattern from Victorian Lace today and will be absoultely beautiful one I finish. I hope she will love it.

I also started my first ever circular shawl which right now is a big lace blob. It is also from Victorian Lace Today and would finish it as fast I possibly could except I think I am a little laced out at the moment. Never thought that would happen. Both shawls are being knit with silk lace from Sundara. It is absolutely lovely to knit with.

Rita was here visiting and bought me some lovely sock yarn (such a wise woman). To be exact she bought me 4 skeins of Lorna's Laces, 2 skeins of Koigu and a big skein of Socks that Rock. Thanks to her generosity I will have 4 pairs of socks (eventually) to keep my feet toasty warm. I've already cast on one pair with the red Lorna's Laces. One sock done and one to go:

After buying the fall Knits I became obsessed with this yarn and this sweater. I sadly only had one skein so yesterday I went and bought enough to make the sweater.

The result this morning was a quite a wee bit of headway on the ribbing as you can see below:

My sister was also visiting at the same time as Rita and managed to snag this as a present since I lost the pattern to finish the sweater I started for her. I sadly don't have a picture of her wearing it (hint, hint) so the picture of me wearing it when I finished it in November of last year will have to do:

And I realized I had finished a project in the course of keeping this blog and forgot to post it. I was rooting through my winter stuff to make sure I knew where it all was and lo and behold I found this toque. I made it in February from my own handpun to keep my head warm while on the Canal when I went back to visit a friend in Ottawa. Sadly the picture does not show the subtle colour variations:

There are a few other things to be shown, but I will leave them for another post just in case I don't make enough headway on any of the projects shown.

long overdue

2007-07-14T12:26:00.000-04:00

I have had the pictures for a while; I've just been a wee bit lazy about putting them up.
Anyway here are the specs for the shawl:

Pattern: The Peacock Feathers Shawl
Yarn: Zephyr Wool-silk by Fiddlesticks Knitting in Indigo
Needles: 3.5mm lace addi turbos

Enjoy!

third of the year

2007-06-16T20:14:00.000-04:00

I know I haven't published lately, but I did have a deadline to finish the blue blob since I want to wear it to a wedding. It's hard to take a picture without any help so all I can offer today is a little teaser.

When I have photographic aid I'll show the entire thing and provide all the specs. It is the Peacock Feathers shawl from Fiddlesticks Knitting (a Canadian company that gives info in yards? It's suppose to be metres!)

Stay tuned......

luscious yarn

2007-05-27T16:03:00.001-04:00

I did Navajo plying for this yarn so it is three ply and it turned out really well!!! It looks like commercial store-bought yarn! Since this turned out so well I've decided to use the rest of the yarn in the samlpler kit to make multicoloured sock yarn. Don't the singles look good!

Oh and I must mention that I met the Yarn Harlot on Friday at her book launch in Toronto! It was a long line and I was at the end, but it was worth it as I made some new knitting friends who were nice enough to take this picture for me since I forgot my camera. Look I'm holding the green sock!

the big blob

2007-05-20T10:36:00.000-04:00

Well the blue blob on the needles has definately grown. It just may get done before the end of June where I hope to wear it to a wedding. Have to say that the addi turbos are absolutely wonderful. So thank you to the older gentleman at Romni's who noticed that I was knitting lace and recommended I buy those needles instead of the regular addi turbos.Here is a look at the yarn I made now that it is off the bobbin and in a skein. Far from perfect but it is still beautiful!

I bought some roving that was intended for needle felting for some practise spinning and have spun up some of the lovely red colour. I need to ply it and then decide what colour I want to spin up next.

I also picked up some alpaca/bombyx silk roving to be spun up. I think it will make some beautiful lace weight. I am also taking a spinning lesson with a spindle. I was informed the same principles apply so it's worth a try. That is next Saturday; I'm all excited.

addi turbo lace....

2007-05-05T08:23:00.000-04:00

...that's write ladies and gentlemen the addi turbo lace needles have finally arrived and I have a pair from my trip to Romni wools. I know it is hard to see the needles with that big lace blob on them, but can you fault me for not waiting to try them?By the way, that lace blob is my new obsession. We will have to see how long it takes or if it will ever make it to the finish line. I have high hopes for this one.

I also picked up my 2.25mm needles and maybe a few other odds and ends as shown below:Yes I bought more handmaiden sock yarn. What can I say the colourways are gorgeous, it's local (ie Canadian) and the yarn is really yummy!

I also spent last weekend spinning up singles. And here is the resulting yummy yarn.

I can still use a lot of improvement and I definately need some lessons, but it is hard to find someone who teaches spinning! I asked the lady at Romni if she knew anyone who teaches spinning. Her response was we don't teach spinning on wheels anymore. That's nice, but why can't people answer the question. I didn't ask her who didn't teach, I asked who did.

Oh well I will remedy this by basking in the sun, drinking beer and knitting. Well maybe not drinking beer since I had quite a bit last night, but that is beside the point since sun and knitting are the more important of the three.

mitered squares and heavenly spinning

2007-04-29T20:40:00.000-04:00

I've been unable to concentrate on any one kniting project for longer than half an hour. It has been very disconcerting lately, but I'm just not obsessed with any of my projects at the moment which is very sad. I love being completely obsessed by a project.

I have started this:

It is going to be a mitered square afgan or throw for my friend Laura up in Ottawa. Hopefully it will be ready for her birthday/christmas, which are around the same time.

I have also started spinning again. And now that I know to pre-draft the yarn, it is going a lot faster and a lot smoother than it has ever before. I really need to take classes because as of now I am self taught and I am sure I could be churning out stuff faster and of better quality if I had someone show me how. I almost have an entire bobbin full of beautifully dyed merino from Momma E's cybershop. Perhaps it will turn into socks or mittens?

on the needles

2007-04-28T13:24:00.000-04:00

Okay so I'm still not doing a great job of regular posting but at least I'm posting twice in April. I finally have a picture of the cabled socks in progress to post.

The would have been finished by now if one of the needles hadn't broken (it's a long story about rescuing a parrot who threw a hissy fit and landed on the floor). So since I haven't been to a yarn store that stocks 2.25mm dpn in sets of 5 yet I have started to work on these from some koigu I bought at Lettuce Knit when looking for said dpn's.
My first ever pair of toe up socks! They are my own pattern and it took a couple of attempts with wrapped stiches to get this beautiful turned heel:
I only will admit to buying some beatiful alapaca/silk in a rich turquise and maybe a wee bit more koigu.

I also started work on this:

Which is a sweater of unusually construction made from a yarn called Ottawa. I have also worked a bit more on the red cashmere sweater and I am almost to the point where I have to design the armholes and neckline.

That will be all that I am going to admit to having on needles at the moment. ;)

haven't I been bad, but good

2007-04-14T10:43:00.000-04:00

Not posting once for the whole month of March is not a good thing when you are trying to keep a blog. But I have been good and have been knitting quite a bit, I just don't seem to complete much lately. I think I'm too scatter-brained lately and seem to have a hard time concentrating on a single project for any decent length of time.

I did however work quite hard on a pair of socks:

I even had no problem starting up the second and finishing it, which is usually the problem with socks. But I think the lure of having a pair of homemade socks one out and ta da I have a pair of matching socks!!!

They are Child's First Sock's in Shell Pattern from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks (yes I even shaved my legs just for this picture). I used 2.25mm needles instead of the 2.5mm and the yarn is Lorna's Laces in Cedar. I love the subtle colour changes in the yarn and superwash definately has it's uses. Hello washing machine!

It's my second ever completed pair of socks. My mother received the first pair for her birthday and she loves them so much that I have been able to bribe her with bamboo needles and some orange koigu yarn to learn to make her own. Her goal is to get the leg part of the sock to the length she wants and on Mother's day weekend I'll show her how to make the heel and turn it.

I am currently working on another pair of socks with a blue colourway of Handmaiden merino, can anyone say yummy! It's my own pattern and there are cables (sorry no picture of this one yet). One sock is done and I'm on the heel of the second one. Maybe if I get of my procrastinating rear end I'll try to write up the pattern so it is ledgible to others and post it. I wonder if anyone will ever make them?

projects on the go

2007-02-21T20:50:00.000-05:00

Well I haven't been doing so good at the posting on a regular basis. So to make is up I'm going to show off three projects in the works. I have reattempted my cashmere sweater, this time in the round and it is going really well. I bought a knitting software called Knit Visualizer which is great at making charts which I prefer to read over written instruction.

I've started early on my Dad's birthday present which is in August (I have come to the conclusion that men have large feet and this is not a good thing for a knitter with a short attention span). He's been bugging me for a pair of socks since I made Mom a pair for her birthday. He even went so far as to buy me needles to put in my stocking for Christmas. Now mind you he didn't buy my favorite needles and I will probably never use them since they are only 4 not 5 double pointed needles. But really it is the thought that counts and the fact he went into a knitting store.

And last but not least I'm making a pair of socks for myself if the second one ever gets finshed let alone the first. The yarn is Lorna's Laces which I have wanted to try for a long time so when I found some I bought it without a project in mind. Recently Chapters delivered my copy of "Knitting Vintage Socks" by Nancy Bush and I really liked this pattern and it screamed out for the yarn I had stashed away. I am really enjoying knitting this sock so far so I may get lucky and have a pair of socks.

I've recently started reading they Yarn Harlot's blog (I know, I know I am behind the times with these things; it's the same with online banking etc). I also bought her book "Knitting Rules" and am finding myself trying to stop myself from giggling out-loud on the subway, which is very hard to do I must say.

first project of the year done!

2007-01-18T20:20:00.000-05:00

I already have one finished project for the new year! These are Eunny's Anemoi mittens and I am in love with them. They were knit up with Nature's Palette in cream and dark teal. I finished them just in time for winter. The day after they were finished it snowed all day. The pattern is absolutely stunning and they keep my fingers toasty warm.

Front view:
Palm view:

And here is a sneak peak of the next project that can't be completely revealed yet. Although I'm sure a few people might recognize it.