YarnMagnet

2010-02-15T20:23:00.004-05:00

Winter Olympics, Vancouver 2010 - Day 4.

Canada's Progress (medal total) - 4

Knitting Olympics - Day 4

Sweater Progress - that corrogated ribbing took me F-O-R-E-V-E-R. Here's to hoping the colourwork goes a little quicker

Likelihood of Success - Slimmer

Rash Decision

2010-02-12T20:30:00.001-05:00

So I may have made a last-minute, completely likely-to-fail snap decision to enter into the Knitting Olympics. Typically, the Olympics require dedication, careful training, and pure unadulterated commitment for many, many years.

Project - Autumn Rose
Likelihood of Success - Slim

Stay tuned.

Inbetween Time

2009-03-29T19:48:00.005-04:00

Needing something to work on between rounds of Sock Madness, and not wanting to do anything on sock sized needles, found me surfing around Ravelry. Always dangerous!

Happened upon the Winter 2008 offerings from the Twist Collective, a fabulously photographed and put together online knitting magazine. Seriously, if you haven't had a chance to have a look, click on that link. I'll wait here until you get back.

One peek at Vivian, and I was hooked. (Or should that be needled?) Dug out both needles and yarn, and cast on. That Ysolda sure knows how to write a good pattern! Since Wednesday, I've managed to knit this much:

It's a fairly quick knit, chunky yarn on size 5 (8mm) but I have this niggling feeling that the fabric is too stiff. I'm wondering if I should cast off what I've got, and give it a good wash. I usually do worsted on 4.5 or 5, so I would have thought that chunky yarn would have needed slightly larger needles. Still, I love how the cabling looks, and the shaping on this sucker is insane! No chance of box-shaped sweater here!

And a close-up of the cabling...

With any luck, this will be done in time before the summer hits! (Remember, here in Canada, we get about a week of spring between insanely cold and insanely hot weather.)

Um... since when did time just disappear like that?

2009-03-23T19:42:00.004-04:00

So I just checked the calendar, and apparently it's March. Spring is here. (Although the weather here wouldn't agree with that.) Have you missed me? I've missed you!

I have been knitting, but not much photographic evidence. Going back to work has meant being out of town a lot, and while for some folks that would mean lots of knitting time, for me it means lot of hanging out with members and keeping them happy (and plied with nice wine).

I realized my first week back at work that I had no winter hat. Standing on a freezing platform at 7 in the morning is just not fun, without a wooly hat. So I sat down, and in a few evenings I had a Gretel. She was made from KnitPicks Merino Style in Vanilla. She was soft, and deliciously warm. She got left on the train. :(

A few weeks later, I sucked it up, and made another one. This one was made in Cranberry coloured Bernat Satin, and is fantastic. Unfortunately, she's shy (well, out in the car, too far away to go ask for a photo op). A friend at work saw it, and asked for one. Luckily, we were in a hotel within walking distance from Lettuce Knit where we found some gorgeous Cascade 220 Wool Heather in a fantastic purple colour. (I may have accidentally fallen into the Socks that Rock pile, and a skein must have thrown itself into my hands, because I seem to have paid for it.) I had the needles with me, having just finished Gretel #2, but was rather foolish. Here I am, miles from my umbrella swift and skein winder. How to deal with a skein?

Hotel lamps DO come in handy! It was exactly the right circumference, and spun round like a dream! I had a ball in no time! Gretel #3 is finished too, and I foolishly handed her off to her new owner without taking a photo. Silly!

Sock Madness has begun it's craziness, and here's pair number one. I didn't do any crazy all-nighters with this one, just worked on it whenever I had a spare moment. Still, we got the pattern Thursday morning on the way to work, and I was done by yesterday evening.

Pattern - Tropical Mer-tini
Needles - 2.5mm DPN
Yarn - 2 skeins KnitPicks Palette in Rainforest Heather

(I'm more of a beer person than a martini person, hence the picture)

Great pattern by Raspberry (as she's known on Ravelry), uses a knit and purl pattern resembing the drunkard's quilt pattern, and features an afterthought heel, but a flap and gusset style afterthought heel. I know you're thinking "huh?!?!?" and I was too! Worked though!

Happy Holidays

2008-12-24T22:12:00.001-05:00

Hope all your wishes come true!

So close I can taste it

2008-12-23T10:12:00.005-05:00

And I'm not just talking about the visit of Annual Gift-giving Man.

Apres Surf Hoodie is finished! To be honest, it's been off the needles for a while. Since my last post in... September! Oh dear. It has been a while.

At the end of September my parents came to visit us from England. It was my mum who taught me to knit when I was 7, and it was really cool to be able to show her some neat tricks like three-needle bindoffs and mattress stitch for her to add to her knitting repository! The student becomes the teacher.

Back to Apres Surf - here's a finished pic for you - it's finally bright enough (mainly due to the foot and a half of snow outside) to get a decent picture. It's not on me, because I need to wash and block it. I've worn it, and it's a little snug, so I'm hoping it relaxes slightly after a nice bath. Keep your fingers crossed for me! I'm scared it's going to shrink, which is I think why I've taken so long to wash it. If it does shrink, it's off to a friend's house as an impromptu Christmas gift.

If it does fit, I'll post some more pictures!

I've been working on the Cleopatra Wrap from Sensual Knits, which is a lovely pattern, very easy to memorize (after those first 40 rows). This was destined to be a Christmas gift, but based on the fact that it's December 23rd, and the recipient lives in another country, it's not going to happen. I need a schedule like Stephanie.

Besides knitting, we've been busy getting ready for Christmas! Here's Chloe helping me decorate cookies (which if you look closely are shaped as traditional Christmas trees... and Winnie the Pooh characters).

Snow has come fast and furious to our little corner of the world, and I'm hoping, just hoping for a white Christmas. It's looking probable, but I'd hate to jinx it for all the little ones!

Neglect

2008-09-18T09:17:00.005-04:00

This poor blog is not getting the attention it deserves. The Apres Surf Hoodie is progressing nicely, albeit slowly, and there are many more progress pics I could have posted between the last one and this one.

Wendy manages to post nearly every day, and while I feel there are days where my knitting would look exactly the same, I could post some more progress than I do.

I have been waylaid somewhat by an Idea that came to me. I had the idea of a super chunky knit cabled cardigan for a friend's girl down the street. She loves her sweaters, and may just become my new, animated dress form model. I also like the idea of using different yarn weights to get different sizes, rather than just altering the number of stitches etc. It means the pattern would be super easy to read, without all the "cast on 1 (2, 3, 4, 5)" confusion which can make patterns seem daunting to a new knitter.

After my dream sweater (because it came to me in a dream, not because it's a dream sweater), I grabbed some super chunky yarn, (just one ball, in case it didn't work) and started.

Perfect. Came out exactly as I was hoping (this is the start of the back). Used exactly one ball to get this far. Went back for more, the very next day. Next morning, in fact. DISCONTINUED. Not joking. Searched everywhere in the area that sells yarn, and even online. No one has more than 2 balls, and I need 5 more I think. I'm not paying for shipping from 3 retailers! (It's Bernat Glacier, in Arctic Sky) So, I'll have to go search for a replacement. Pity, the recipient was loving it. Great colour, and although it's not showing up on the picture, it's got almost a

silvery sheen to it that sparkles. Damn. Worst part was, the yarn was on sale when I got the first ball, but thought I'd just go back for more. Last time I do that!

Back to Apres Surf, I'm just about to start the shaping of the sleeve cap on sleeve #1, front and back are finito!

The best part, I get to seam it all together after the next sleeve, before the hood and band. So I'll get to see how it looks - I can't wait!

(By the way, I appreciate that the Apres Surf Hoodie will take even longer by starting something new in the middle, but I think I wanted some instant gratification knitting)

2008-08-22T18:10:00.002-04:00

Well, I kinda stuck to my plans. The Wrapped in Care Shawl is finished, and off the needles, but not yet blocked.

Apres Surf Hoodie is progressing quicker than I thought. I love this lace pattern, 10 rows and just enough to keep me interested without having to check the pattern every five seconds. It also makes it really easy to keep notes so that (supposedly) my back will match my front, making seaming a breeze!

I'm just past the armholes, on the second ball of yarn. The yarn is surprising me! I'd finished the stockinette portion and was convinced that there was no way this entire sweater with a hood would be completed with only 8 balls. I'm feeling more optimistic now

We're having some pretty crazy weather here in southern Ontario, I could have used this sweater a few times this week in the evenings! Never thought I'd say that in August.

Here's a closeup of the lace pattern. Not a very good shot colour-wise, it's a lovely dark brown colour, much less grey than the above picture shows.

I've been doing a whole ton of dyeing too - hop over to my Etsy shop and have a browse!

Drop everything!

2008-08-13T19:50:00.003-04:00

This arrived in my mail this morning:

8 skeins of RYC Cashcotton, colour Treacle, to be made into the Apres Surf Hoodie from the Summer 2008 Interweave Knits. (Ravelry Link)

People have talked, yearned, even raved about this yarn. Yeah, yeah, at the end of the day, it's just yarn, right? WRONG! Go buy some of this. Seriously, even if you're not a knitter. You'll want to pet it, take it out, stare at it, pet it some more. Take it into the great wide world and show it to others. Soft doesn't even begin to describe it. I cannot wait to begin this project.

But wait... I only have 10 (long) rows left on my Wrapped in Care shawl... focus...

'Twas a long time coming

2008-08-11T19:08:00.003-04:00

Wow. I never thought it would take over a year to finish, but I finally sucked it up and felted my Booga Bag this weekend.

I started this last July, and it was knitted up in a few weeks. Since then, it's hung around, been packed into a box, unpacked, and after staring at me for a few more weeks, I finally got up the courage to put it in the washing machine.

Here's a closeup after one trip through:
And after 4 more trips, I had this!
Pattern: Julia's Booga Bag
Yarn: 3 skeins of Noro Kureyon in colour 135 (I see why they use numbers - what colour would you call that???) purchased at Spun Fibre Arts.
Needles: 6.5mm circular
Modifications: None. I should have done the i-cord first, and then just knitted the bag until I ran out of wool.

Knitting is progressing on the Wrapped in Care shawl, which looks like a slightly bigger pile of scrunched up lace than last time. Hopefully the next blog will have some finished photos, I love seeing how lace grows from a limp heap into something beautiful!

Wrapped in Care

2008-08-05T09:41:00.006-04:00

I've begun work on my shawl for the Wrapped in Care project I blogged about a few weeks ago. I decided to do the Luna Moth Shawl, free pattern here, in Red Heart Luster Sheen. I've done 4 out of 6.5 repeats, which seems like a lot but adding 4 stitches every second row makes it get slower and s l o w e r and s l o w e r!

I try to stay away from 100% acrylic, but the folks heading up the project stated that the shawls had to be easy-care. For those of you who have made shawls, you'll know that many of the laceweight yarns on the market require you to reblock the shawl each time it's washed, and it's usually washed by hand. This isn't very "easy-care"! I also read about this cool way to block acrylic, so it actually keeps it's shape. If this works, I may have another go at blocking Curlique!

It is actually a light #2 weight, I wanted this shawl to be a little heavier than a laceweight and so far I'm really pleased with it:

An idea popped into my head recently, and I just had to see if it would work. You know when you finish a pair of socks, and seem to have too much yarn left to simply throw away? Especially if it was one of those lovely hand-painted but not-exactly-cheap yarns out there? Well, I thought there must be a way to use up those leftovers! Then, the idea of my spiral stripey socks hit me:

Unusual construction - cuff and leg worked in the round, then the top of the foot back and forth (so you don't waste the contrast yarn by having to carry it all the way around the sole), then the toe, sole and heel. The sole is knitted together with the foot on the way back, and the only seam is a kitchener seam from the top of the heel to the bottom of the leg. This used less than 10g of the red variegated contrast yarn for each sock!

Here's a close up of the side of the foot - a pretty seamless seam!

Look what I can do!

2008-08-05T09:33:00.001-04:00

The Best Sounds in the World

2008-07-21T20:03:00.002-04:00

Baby Shrug - additional comments

2008-07-21T08:49:00.004-04:00

A few other things I meant to say about the Baby Shrug by Debbie Bliss.

The pattern states that you will require 4.5mm and 5mm needles in both straights and circulars. However, the entire pattern can be done on straights, especially the smaller sizes. I think the circulars are used for when you have too many stitches to comfortably hold them on straights, they are never used for actually knitting in the round.

I think this is an important FYI, since I actually went and bought 5mm circulars and then never needed them. In fact, the only reason I used my 4.5mm circulars was because I did the finishing in a different order then the pattern states. I worked the cuffs, then seamed, then I picked up stitches for the border on the circular. The instructions actually have you work the border on the back and the fronts separately, and then seam.

How do you spell LOVE?

2008-07-17T08:31:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was one of the hottest days so far this year.

What did Chris wear to work?

Wool socks. Gotta love him!

Just because I haven't been posting, doesn't mean I haven't been knitting...

2008-07-14T21:15:00.005-04:00

Quite the opposite, in fact.

I'd love to have finished pictures of the Alphabet Blanket, but I've run out of yarn, and have not been able to find the same colour since. I hope it wasn't a random one-off, or I'll have to do some frogging and alter the border, which is half completed. Not a huge problem, but I'd rather not, if you know what I mean. Frogging when you haven't made a mistake just seems wrong...

I do have some finished projects to show you though, first up, Commuter Socks for Chris. Being on maternity leave means no commuting so these have been on the needles for a while. We've had friends in town from England which has meant many car trips, and they finally got finished:

Simple slip-stitch rib, 84 sts around on 2.75mm needles. Yarn, forgotten (sorry). Picture taken on my feet instead of Chris', although you can't tell from that photo that they're hanging off my toes. Good optical illusion there!

Finished object #2 is the Baby Shrug by Debbie Bliss. Free pattern here. The construction is really clever, all worked in one piece and then seamed, finally adding the ribbing. A really quick knit, aran weight yarn on 5mm size 8 needles!

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. For once, I splashed out and bought the yarn called for in the pattern. The yarn is gorgeous, feels fantastic in the ball, and even better knitted. Nothing but the best for my daughter!

Except...

It doesn't fit. I got gauge, bang on. Used the needles AND the yarn called for. Did the 3-6m size, figuring it would fit her in the fall. It barely fits her now:

(Apologies for the clashing pinks, but I didn't want to change her AGAIN today just for a photo opportunity.) Next person I know to have a girl, gets this sweater.

Work has started on a new pair of socks, which have a potentially interesting construction to them... if it works. It works in my head, now we'll have to see if I can get it working on the needles...

This can only mean one thing...

2008-06-22T20:01:00.003-04:00

I'm onto the edging!

I've been researching some yarn options, I have projects a-plenty in mind, including sweaters for my two little girls, as well as one for myself. Good thing I have some birthday money to spend down at the LYS. The Autumn Rose swatch is still in an unwashed unblocked state, so not quite ready to cast on for that yet, plus it'll be MONTHS until I can wear it!

I also read about Wrapped in Care today, thanks to Wendy, who linked to it from her blog. I'd paraphrase it here, but really, just click the link and read it yourself. My paraphrasing wouldn't do it justice. The idea really struck a chord in me - I am thankful every day for my two beautiful, healthy daughters. Needless to say, I'll be starting a shawl as soon as I can get my hands on some laceweight. Plus, I love the idea of laceweight knitting, although I know I'd never wear the finished product. This is perfect.

2008-06-10T11:31:00.005-04:00

Knitting has been accomplished, even with Camryn's arrival. I used to get a good solid few hours of knitting time, once Chloe was in bed, but now I have to just snatch a row here and there when I can. Still, those rows add up!

After the completion of Gathering Intentions, I knew my next sweater would be Autumn Rose. What scares me about this project is the steeking. Not the actual cutting of the fabric, but more the finality of the process. No ripping back if it doesn't fit, this has to work first time. So, in a rare Carrie move, I swatched.

Here's the swatch before washing and blocking. I'm loving the colours, although I did get a little sick of winding what seemed like millions of balls before I started. Next, I'll wash and block, and see whether we have gauge. I did this swatch on 3.25mm needles, even though the pattern calls for 3mm, as I always seem to have to go up a size when doing Eunny's patterns. Plus, I have the correct 3.25mm circular, but I don't have one in a 3mm. Fingers crossed!

Alphabet Blanket is coming along nicely, I'm loving the sunny yellow colour!

In an unrelated note, England failing to qualify for Euro 2008 has led to a unified fan base here at CVK-land. Usually we have the English flag proudly waving from my side of the car, and the Holland flag from the other. When the teams play each other, our house is not the most pleasant place to be. With only one flag on the car, it was easy to celebrate Holland's 3-0 win over Italy yesterday - Go Netherlands!

2008-05-30T20:25:00.002-04:00

Fortunately, I was not required to finish the Alphabet Blanket before the arrival of:

Camryn Abigail
Born May 25, 2008 at 6:43pm
8lb 15oz

Already a knitter!

Parade of Finished Objects

2008-05-20T13:06:00.003-04:00

Following on the heels of the successful outdoor photo shoot, I bring you pictures of my finished Curlique:

I finished this way back in July 2007 but didn't post pictures of because a) I hadn't taken any decent ones and b) I wasn't happy with it. I'm still not.

You can't really see, but even after pulling and prodding (and blocking) this sucker just won't sit flat. Very annoying. I should have known better (which may also be lending itself to my annoyance) as Kathy noted problems with the pattern when she knit it. I thought we might have slightly different row gauges or something which was throwing it off, but apparently I was wrong!

I also tried to get some better pictures of Gathering Intentions, but pictures of sweaters lying on the deck just don't do them justice. I tried to get some with me acting as model, after all, the sweater is for me! However, those cables are just a leetle bit s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d!

Finally, I finished Reid last night, and Chloe loves it! So much that I couldn't block it, as that would have meant it wouldn't have been dry today.

Pattern: Reid by Brooke T Higgins
Yarn: Patons Grace (4 skeins taupe, 1 skein white for edging)
Needles: 3.5mm
Modifications: Added a repeat to the sleeves and body on the 2x size (she's tall but slim, so going up to the size 4 wouldn't have worked).
Overall: Very happy! (The recipient is too.)

No sign of Baby, which reminded me of something that the YarnHarlot once commented on. Typically, the babies didn't arrive until AFTER she'd finished the baby knit she was working on. If that's the case with my baby, then I'd better get working on that Alphabet Blanket!

So many projects...

2008-05-15T13:18:00.009-04:00

Ooh so much knitting has been happening around here, I'm not sure where to start! I think I'm most excited about the photos themselves, and not what's actually in the photos. Being a person who works full time, I always struggle with getting decent photos. Dark (or at least dusk) when I get home, and weekends often simply too busy with a 2 1/2 whirlwind around. I'm constantly in awe of people like Cara and Jared, whose photos are always so beautiful. Their knits are beautiful too, but I believe a good photo makes them look even better.

So what did I do today, with the Whirlwind in daycare, while I await the arrival of Baby? I took advantage of the lovely sunshine outside, and our deck, to take some progress shots. Before we get to those though, Sock Madness is over for yours truly. Boo.

Round 6 (12 competitors left, top one from each of the 4 divisions through to the final) was last Friday. See? Nearly a week ago, this must have hurt me if it's taken me 6 days to write about it. Pattern was released in time to allow me to get this much done before work:It then burned a hole in my bag all day. I knit all the way home, then after Chloe was in bed. I had originally intended to just go, go go until I was finished, but I changed my mind. I had some Signs that baby was intending to make an appearance and thought it probably wasn't worth it to pull an all-nighter knitting, if I was going to be sleepless in the very near future. So at 10pm I put down my needles (trust me, this was harder than I thought) and went to bed. I was fully expecting to wake up to defeat, but I did not. A progress pic from one of the other 2 from my division (further along than I was), and deafening silence from the other. So I figured, I'd just knit all day Saturday (between grocery shopping, playing with Chloe etc.) until I was eliminated. I checked the website after each section, and actually began to think I may make it through - sock one finished, no other posts. Sock 2 toe complete, check site, nothing. Sock 2 foot complete, check site, nothing. Sock 2 heel complete, check site, nothing. Sock 2 with 2 rows to go before cuff, and I'm out. OOOhhhh only an hour and I'd have been done! Why didn't I just stay up until 11? Grr.

Still, here are the socks at the point I was eliminated.
They haven't moved since. Although the pattern was fun, I'm not really a cuff kinda girl, and so I think these will be frogged. The yarn is KnitPicks Essential. There was an optional pattern between rounds 5 and 6 that I didn't do, because I wasn't sure which yarn would be best, and I think this will show it up nicely.

The finalists do battle on May 22nd - good luck all!

Reid has been motoring along, pictures from today - can you tell? Look at that sunshine! Here we have completed back, fronts, and most of sleeve #1.Alphabet Blanket nearly finished the first row of letters.
And just some more proof that summer is coming...

I have a Problem

2008-05-06T15:24:00.005-04:00

I have a Problem. Although, I hear once you admit that you have one, it becomes a problem as opposed to a Problem, or a PROBLEM. The good thing about knitting blogs – people can tell me that my Problem is also their Problem, and the more people that have that Problem means it’s not a Problem. Or perhaps we’re all just delusional :)

I was doing really well at tidying up loose ends, finishing up some projects that have been languishing on the needles for far too long. Gathering Intentions is done, sewn, blocked, and apart from getting a decent picture, is ready for the fall. Socks have been coming and going far too quickly, due to Sock Madness 2, that it’s hard to keep track. Reid has a finished back, and had one nearly finished front before I realized I’d made a crucial error and had to rip the whole thing out. The left front is nearly finished again.

On to the Problem: this morning, I’m wandering around the house waiting to leave for my Doctor’s appointment. At this point, I’m ready for this baby to arrive NOW, and am hopeful that I won’t make next week’s appointment because it’ll be over. Anyway, I’m trying to decide what to take to my appointment, as there is always a chance of a long wait. Reid is being done on straights, and I hate taking straights out of the house. I can’t use them on the train (unless the person beside me likes getting stabbed), and they’re just too awkward. Round 6 of Sock Madness starts on Friday, and I reserve judgement on needle sizes until I see the pattern and how many stitches are being used. By the way – I’m into the final 12! 3 people from each division are left, so I’m assuming that in Round 6 it’ll be the top person from each division as Round 7 is the Grand Finale. Anyway, knowing I’m not going to get a whole sock done between now and Friday, all sock needles are off limits, and Reid is evening TV knitting. I don’t own duplicates of any sizes, and I’m now beginning to see the problems with this rule!

So what did I do?

I cast on for another project. And not just a little one, either. Another Alphabet Blanket from the Debbie Bliss’ The Baby Knits book. I’ve done this pattern before, in fact it was my Knitting Olympics project from February 2006. Then, I just got it done in the 16 day time-frame. This baby is due in 15 days. Think I can make it?

You guessed it...

2008-05-01T20:21:00.007-04:00

More socks!

Round 5 of Sock Madness was definitely the most stressful so far! The pattern was released at 7:15am on Sunday morning, which for a lot of folks probably meant a long day of uninterrupted knitting time. For me, I got a lot done during the day, but also had to chase Little Miss Chloe around. Also, there were a few issues with the written pattern and the charts giving different information.

I did what I could on Sunday, went to bed at 10pm pretty sure I'd be out of the competition by Monday morning, as there were only 3 from each round that would make it through. As luck would have it, only 1 had finished by the time I left for work. While at work, I refreshed that Flickr page at least a million times (probably not as much of an overstatement as one would think), and it was almost worse that I wasn't knocked out quickly!

My awesome colleagues let me knit for an hour during an afternoon discussion meeting, and at roughly 9pm I had these:

Pattern: Hippy Ripply Retro Socks by Helen Darmara
Yarn: KnitPicks Felici in Arugula
Needles: Trusty 2.5mm DPNs

This pattern included a figure-8 cast-on and a Japanese short-row heel. The fantastic thing about this competition, and I think I've mentioned it before, is that it forces you to try things you wouldn't otherwise. I think I've knit every pair of socks (with the exception of maybe one) top down, so I knew I'd be slower than most once we got a toe-up pair. The toe wasn't too bad, and the Japanese short-row heel is definitely scarier than it looks:

Yup, that's 22 safety pins instead of wraps. I wish I'd taken a better picture of the heels, because I think this is the neatest short-row heel I've ever done.

As I was saying, by 9pm I was finished, posted and crossed my fingers. Turns out I was the last person, in the last division to qualify. Talk about sneaking in! This weekend we have off, as it's the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. Am I going? I wish. I hope my daughters turn into complete yarnaholics like their mother, and we can start an annual tradition. Not this year though! Pattern 6 is set for release next Friday, which coincides with my last day at work - yippee!

In other knitting news, I've finished the back for Reid. I love this pattern, love the yarn (Patons' Grace). Highly entertaining. The best part is, I'm doing the size 2, as I have heard that it comes out a little on the large size. If it happens to be too small for my 2 1/2 year old, I can hang onto it for Baby. No worries!
I wonder if I can at least get a front done before Friday...

More socks!

2008-04-23T21:30:00.004-04:00

This round was far too close for comfort!

Round 4 of Sock Madness was set to start between 6am and 10am Monday morning, EST. The organizers are fantastic at making sure that the pattern releases are at different times of day, different days of the week, to ensure fairness for most people at some point.

This timing was one of the worst possible for me! The pattern was finally released at 9:05am, just as I walked into my office building. Grr! Still, I started after work, finished all of sock #1 except the toe and heel and went to bed at midnight. Tuesday I had an early morning doctor's appointment, and for the first time, was really hoping my OB would be called out for multiple emergency c-sections or something. I was up until 2am, and had these:

Pattern: Something's Shady by Corey LaFlamme
Needles: 2.5mm (a little tight - should have gone up to the 2.75mm)
Yarn: KnitPicks Bare Fingering Weight. The pattern includes information on dyeing after the pattern has been completed!

My only beef with the pattern is that it includes an afterthought heel. I like the concept - if you walk through the heel before the rest of the sock is worn, you can simply pull out the heel and reknit another one. But, in the interests of speed-knitting, I must have been doing something wrong. The heel included a 2-row waste-yarn concept, I'd only read about a 1-row. When I removed the waste yarn to pick up the stitches for the heel, one row unzipped really nicely, but the other required tons of unpicking. It took me easily 20 minutes to pick up the stitches (each sock!).

The procedure for completion is to post your finished pictures to the group Flickr account, and then email the organizers with a link. Once I'd finished, it looked like there were either one or two spaces left in my division (one person hadn't posted their division, and I wasn't sure which division they were in). I posted my pic, flipped over to compose my email, sent my email, and flipped back to Flickr. In that time, someone else from my division had posted (!). Turns out her email beat mine to the organizers by less than 5 minutes! Fortunately, it turns out that she was #5, and I was #6. Far too close to comfort, but on to Round 5!

A (dark) FO!

2008-04-20T20:47:00.003-04:00

Gathering Intentions is finished! I think this is the sweater I'm most proud of. The fit is good, exactly as it should have turned out from the gauge. A fantastically written pattern, although I did do a three-needle bind-off across the shoulders. Mattress stitch takes forever, and I had never done it before when sewing up purl stitches on the right side, but the end result is totally worth it, even if it did take me DAYS...

The picture below does not do it justice. It was taken at dusk, and the colour is slightly less pink-red, and more burgandy-red. I was just dying to get a picture up! I'll have to get some pictures taken on a person, who may or may not be me. Due date is less than 5 weeks away, and those cables across the front are slightly s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d although I can get the sweater on. Won't be able to wear it now until the fall, but I'll be ready when the cool weather returns!

Pattern: Gathering Intentions from Inspired Cable Knits by Fiona Ellis
Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes (Worsted) in Cranberry. Have a few skeins left over, so the pattern is generous with it's yarn requirements
Needles: 5mm (8)

In other news, Chloe has had her new room repainted, and we spent the weekend putting together a big-girl bed, dresser and side-table. IKEA, of course. Chloe, like her mom and dad, enjoys building IKEA furniture:

Check out those fuzzy slippers! (Mostly to prevent teeny tiny metal screws ending up in the bottom of her feet, not because it's cold.)

Round 4 of Sock Madness begins tomorrow between 6am and 10am. Unfortunately, work may play a major part in not letting me advance to Round 5, but I'll give it my all. I may even take a lunch break tomorrow! Wish me luck...

So much for the Year of the Sweater

2008-04-13T20:04:00.003-04:00

Sock Madness does have a way of monopolizing one's finished projects.

It also made me realize I don't really need any more socks. Especially with summer around the corner, where my sock drawer doesn't get opened for roughly 6 months. Still, that doesn't stop my competitiveness from keeping me motivated :)

Round 2 started March 31, and was complete by April 8 (mine were done April 4, in time to make it through to round 3):

Yarn: Hand-dyed, my winnings from Sock Madness 1.
Pattern: Reversai by Janine La Cras (Pattern not yet available to those outside of Sock Madness. They are often available after the competition is finished, so check often.)
Needles: 2.5mm DPNs
Verdict: Will definitely do again, just in a plainer yarn so you can actually see the clever pattern.

Round 3 started April 10th, and I completed mine this afternoon (in time!):

Yarn: Knit Picks Shadow in Oregon Coast Heather and Sunrise Heather.
Pattern: Slippin' Slidin' Socks by Tina Lorin
Needles: 2.75mm DPN
Verdict: AWESOME

You see right - Knit Picks Shadow. That's laceweight! I haven't taken these socks off since the above photo op, and they are easily the most comfortable socks I've ever worn. They're also very warm - will definitely be doing these again (especially since our new washing machine has a handwash/wool cycle! :) )

I am in the process of sewing up Gathering Intentions, so should have a non-sock FO soon!

Sock Madness Returns!

2008-03-18T19:32:00.004-04:00

Which gave me the perfect incentive to finish off my Monkeys, which have been languishing on the needles for far too long. Here they are though, and I love them!

Pattern: Monkey Socks by Cookie A.
Needles: 2.5mm nickel-plated DPNs (my weapon of choice)
Yarn: Tofutsies, colour 798 I think

The yarn is a combination of wool, silk, cotton and chitin (made from shrimp and crab shells!), and the colour as I started made me think of shrimp. Towards the end, however, they reminded me of Fuzzy Peach candy in line with my crazy cravings :)

So Thursday afternoon saw the release of the first pattern for Sock Madness 2. I love this competition! All the participants are so supportive of each other, even though we are in direct competition, with questions about the pattern, what makes things easier etc. Such a fantastic community, us knitters! This year, instead of being paired off, everything is being done as a speed round. For Round 1, the first 40 finished in each division will move onto Round 2. As I write, there are still a lot of folks finishing up their socks, and spaces still remain in each division.

Mine were done relatively quickly, although I didn't pull any crazy all-nighters (I'm saving those for later):

Pattern: Zombie Socks by Emmie (probably available after the competition, if it's anything like last year - check the Sock Madness site for more details)
Needles: 2.5mm nickel-plated DPNs
Yarn: KnitPicks Gloss in Burgandy.

LOVE this yarn. (Despite it's requirement for handwash/dry flat.) It was so smooth to knit with, I fully enjoyed just watching the yarn flow itself into socks. Will definitely be using it again. For now, I'm off to relax my hands in preparation for Round 2!

Gathering Intentions

2008-03-04T21:56:00.003-05:00

Progress on Gathering Intentions is going rather well, although I imagine that Sock Madness 2 will shortly get in the way.

One back complete:
I am hoping against hope that this blocks wider. The yarn seems to be springing back quite a bit, and I'm hoping a good block will fix it... anyone have experience with KnitPicks Wool of the Andes? (If you tell me it shrinks, I'm outta luck... this sweater will have to wait until it fits my daughter.)

A closeup of the cabling:

One sleeve nearly complete:

I love the way this pattern doesn't have you put too many increases in the sleeves, making them giant triangles. I'm a fan of straight sleeves myself!

Comments...

Lise asked where the pattern from the previous post came from... it's Eunny Jang's Autumn Rose, published in Simply Shetland 4. You can see Eunny's version here. Absolutely the most stunning pattern in the book, and I cannot wait to begin swatching for this one. (Swatching is a must on this one, as it's steeked! No going back!)

2008-02-13T22:17:00.003-05:00

If you read other blogs from the Toronto area, you'll know that we've been getting arguably more than our fair share of snow this year. (Yes, I realize that I have chosen to live in this country, I'm just saying nearly 50cm of snow in less than a month is a little extreme. Apparently, 2007-08 is now the second snowiest winter on record.) In addition, if one lives in a house that's newer than roughly 1986, it means you get mail delivered to a SuperBox, and not directly to your door. This means getting the post sucks during the winter.

But sometimes it's worth it.

Bill's Durrow

2008-02-11T14:02:00.000-05:00

I've noticed that knitters often refer to themselves as either "process" knitters, or "product" knitters. Process knitters are typically eager to learn new techniques, and often bore of a project way before completion, once the process has been mastered. Product knitters are more geared towards the reward of a finished item.

If I was asked to describe the type of knitter that I am, I would probably have sat on the fence. I love knitting, the relaxation it brings, and the joy of seeing the project emerge (and to know there's not another one like it in the world) is awesome. However, my friends could count on one hand the number of times they've seen me in handknits (other than socks). I have tons of projects on the needles, and tons more in my Ravelry queue - and I think I've finally figured out why. I'm not a huge spender on yarn. The money I spend loosely comes out of my clothing budget. After all, knitting's meant to result in clothes, right? BUT I think I'm scared that the finished product, even done to the best of my ability, either won't fit right, won't fit as I imagined it, or I won't like it.

That's why knitting for other people is great. I knit my husband Chris a Durrow pre-blog. He wears it quite a lot through our snowy, chilly winters, something I'm very glad to see. He even wears it to work, so I take it that it must meet some level of stylish. But he has to (in a way), he's my husband, and he asked for the sweater, so now it's done, there's definitely some obligation there.

However, our friend Bill saw the sweater, and wanted one of his own. His wife Michelle (my best friend from high school) came and picked the colour with me, and it really flew off the needles once I got around to starting it. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact I knew what the finished product would look like.

The only alteration I made to the pattern was to change the arm cable. On the left, the original Durrow cable (Chris'), and on the right, a simple braid cable (Bill's).

The colour in the above is pretty accurate. It's called Brown Heather, and that's an accurate name for it.

And some full shots (colour not as accurate, but taken during the daylight so the contrast is better).
Pattern: Durrow by Jodi Green
Yarn: 8 skeins of Mary Maxim Starlette, colour Brown Heather
Needles: 5mm straights for the body and sleeves, 4.5mm circular for the neck.
Started: December 2007
Finished: February 2008

Bill, I hope you enjoy (and don't feel obligated to wear it)!

Year of the Sweater!

2008-02-08T09:19:00.001-05:00

2007 was definitely the Year of the Sock (see Finished 2007).

2008 is shaping up to be the Year of the Sweater. This weekend I will be taking pictures of the finished Durrow for Bill, as well as the finished Seashell Shrug for me. Good thing I got some of these languishing projects off the needles, as I have cast on for Gathering Intentions from the Fiona Ellis book Inspired Cable Knits which was a Christmas 2006 present.

Taken with my trusty blackberry:

Yarn is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Cranberry. It's a little scratchy, I'm hoping it softens up once it's been through the wash. Also, it comes in small 50g balls which means there will be lots and lots of ends to deal with at the end! Perhaps I'll try not be such a procrastinator and deal with the ends as I go... we'll see!

Also, I've signed up for Sock Madness 2, which means there will be at least some socks being completed this year! I had so much fun doing this competition last year, I just couldn't resist the urge to go for it again! It's not too late if you're interested... there's some beautiful sneak peaks at the patterns being contemplated this time around.

2008-02-05T08:32:00.001-05:00

Well, another month seems to have disappeared from my life, with no knitting pictures to show for it. I'm amazed how fast time is flying right now!

One of the reasons for so few knitting progress pictures is a huge frustration I have with my camera. It's a good 'un, but for some reason, I have difficulty getting decent photos indoors. I've tried all the nifty funky settings, but they come out looking like fake photos, like something drawn in a software package and not the truly textile photos I'm trying to achieve.

Bill's Durrow got finished on Sunday in front of the Superbowl, and I've tried and tried to take some half-decent photos, but it just isn't working. He (and the rest of his gorgeous family) are coming over on the weekend, so perhaps I'll get him to model outside for me if it's not too cold. I'm really pleased with the finished results, hopefully he is too! And since the groundhogs seem to be differing in their predictions, (here he didn't see his shadow, or did he?) we can expect at least 6 more weeks of cold weather here for him to wear it in.

Compounding my photo-frustration, is the fact that I was able take this using the teeny tiny camera in my Blackberry:

Finished Monkey Sock #1, completed last weekend during the mediation stage of some pretty major contract negotiations going on here. Mediation should be defined as "much sitting around waiting for the other side and/or mediator" but can also be defined as "plenty of time to learn how to play Euchre and knit on some socks that have been languishing in my bag".

Now I'm sure there are folks out there saying "Natural Light! Natural Light! That's what's making the difference!" I beg to differ. This is the view from my window today.

Normally a picturesque view over Toronto Island (with many condos built and half-built in between), today a foggy, misty, rainy mess. It's dark, dreary, drizzly, what I call terribly British winter weather. But no fear! 15cm of snow due tomorrow!

New Beginnings

2008-01-01T15:10:00.000-05:00

Well here we are, January 1st of another year!

A quick glance back at 2007 sees 8 pairs of socks (most thanks to Sock Madness), one top for Chloe and one scarf in the finished pile. I feel that more should have been accomplished! Still, I have 3 sweaters, 2 pairs of socks and one pair of mittens currently on the needles, so I'm off to a good start for a well-rounded year.

I'd like to get a fair-isle sweater completed, as this is something I've never done so this will be my knitting-resolution for the year.

Sweaters are definitely calling to be knit, and with these two new additions to my knitting library, there are plenty of options out there!

What's your knitting resolution for the year?

Snow!

2007-12-16T19:09:00.001-05:00

Today was definitely a day I was happy fell on a weekend, rather than a weekday. A very large storm hit the Toronto area, beginning last night, that has so far seen over a foot of snow dumped on us. Thank goodness we didn't have to try and commute in it!

(A large advantage of being pregnant - I get out of shovelling the driveway. Chris has been out 3 times already today!)

Chloe fully enjoyed being outside in her snowsuit:

A view down the street:

Finally, an attempt at an artistic shot of our festively wound column:

Psst... do you think this will stick around for 9 more days? Nine more days? I better get shopping...

Aaahhh....

2007-12-13T21:21:00.000-05:00

I'm happy :)

I hope Bill will be happy too.

(The chart will be forthcoming. When we got our new computer, apparently we didn't bother loading the "important" stuff such as Microsoft Office.)

Didn't expect me back so soon?

2007-12-12T21:55:00.001-05:00

Really, who would blame you?

Yet here I am! I've been playing with some ideas for the Durrow arm cables. Here's the arm from Chris' Durrow:

I started Bill's with a 5-rib cable instead. (CAUTION - huge segue ahead)

I'm only now starting to appreciate the power of Ravelry (and Google). I went onto Ravelry to see if anyone else had changed the cable on Durrow. Sure enough, someone there had used a 5-rib braid, which I really liked the look of. I Googled "Five-rib braid", found this, and I was off.

That's the 5-rib braid at #1 below:

I liked how it was looking, but I was concerned that it was too narrow. Sure enough, when I held the sleeve against my finished Durrow, it was. I think this probably has something to do with the fact that the original cable, while quite complex (3 charts!), doesn't actually cross very often. It starts on a background of 18 purl stitches, but then increases when the cables start to 26 - 2 for each knitted 'strand'. Because it doesn't cross very often, the resulting material is quite flexible and stretchy still, like rib.

The 5-rib braid, while also over 18 stitches, doesn't increase, and is not very flexible. Once I realized this (at line above section 1) I began playing. The 5-rib braid alternates 2 knits with 1 purl on the right side. I increased all the single purls to 2 purls, and then added an additional right-side row between the cabling to allow the stitches to migrate towards each other before the crossing. (See section 2). Decided this was too open, and removed the additional right-side row. (See section 3).

I think this'll work - I'll rip back, start again, and once I have a decent number of repeats, I'll show you how it's going... if I like it, I'll chart the cable in case anyone wants to know exactly how it's done. I'm sure it has a specific name somewhere, as all these cables seem to do. If I find a source, I'll link to it :)

Oh boy...

2007-12-11T13:45:00.000-05:00

... it's been a while!

Usually this means that I've been knitting like crazy, with no chance to blog. Unfortunately, this time away has been different. I'm blaming my knitting lull on my growing bump - perhaps this means it's a boy? (Not that boys can't knit, just that they're less likely to.) Either way, I don't think it's a knitter.

For the first trimester, I imagine my lack of knitting progress had something to do with being in bed by 8:30pm every night. My excuse for the second trimester so far has to be the writer's strike. Since the majority of my knitting gets done in front of the TV, and there isn't much on these days, it just hasn't been happening!

As for progress, there has been little that has been photo-worthy. The argyle socks are mid-foot, an endless (it seems) circle of black yarn. Round and round and round with little progress (darn those 2mm needles!). The Seashell Shrug is 5 measly rounds from completion, but with each round taking roughly 45 mins, it seems endless. Photos are meaningless, as the pile of sweater doesn't really change shape.

Then why is she blogging you ask? Oh ye of little faith! I knit Durrow for my husband a few winters ago (pre-blog), and my friend's hubby asked for one. Now I consider this one of the highest compliments that anyone could say about my knitting. Not only is someone asking for a project, but it's a guy! Who's not related to me! Anyway, the yarn has been languishing in a bag, for a while, and I figure why not get rid of these knitting blahs by completing something I've done before (so I know it works).

Here's the back (the colour's not exactly right, it's more grey-brown than the pictures show):

And a nice closeup of some 4x2 rib:

However, I'm unable to do EXACTLY the same pattern twice, so I think I'm going to do a different cable on the arms. Which one? Not a clue.

Finished Pomatomus...

2007-09-30T20:42:00.000-04:00

... and why I hate driving in the dark.

I don't usually blog from the road, probably because I'm not away from home that often. Tonight though, finds me in Perth, Ontario, a little bit west of Ottawa. Vague, I know, but I'm too lazy to go find a map.

In my prior life on the other side of the pond, I worked for a real estate agent which meant lots of driving on windy English country roads, at times only one lane wide. Although this may seem scary, it's better at night because you can see the lights coming way before you see the cars. Tonight's drive saw me on a 2-lane highway, plenty of space. However, why did nearly EVERY car refuse to turn off their high-beams? Very annoying. And blinding. Okay, rant over.

I finished my Pomatomusses (would that be the plural?) this afternoon, and since there's been a bit of a drought with respect to finished objects, I couldn't wait to post them. So, here they are (and you won't need your sunglasses):

Made with one skein of Collinette Jitterbug, colourway Alizarene, purchased here. 2.5mm DPNs. Pattern, of course, available for free here.

A closeup of the heel gusset area:

I finally managed to photograph these suckers! The trick? No flash. The colour is actually quite accurate now that I've lightened the photos a little.

Up next: Reid. I know I said I wouldn't cast on for anything else until the Shrug-that-never-ends is done, but I couldn't really travel with it. That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it!

Pattern Pet Peeves

2007-09-09T21:19:00.001-04:00

Apparently, I'm not as close to finishing the Seashell Shrug as originally thought. Grrrr. This means I'm going to have to purchase more yarn, so I'm not a happy camper tonight. My problem, and I've run into this before, is in how the pattern is written.

Once the stitches are picked up around the neckline, the pattern takes you through the first 16 rows. Then it says, "repeat rows 1-16 five times". Great! Fortunately for my finished project, I was looking at it last night and thought to myself, this doesn't look long enough in comparison with the picture. So back I went to the pattern, to check the number of repeats - 5 times. Fortunately, the pattern does state the total number of stitches at the end.

A little math....

(Chloe helped) ....and I got it - 5 additional repeats for a total of 6 will give me the stitch count. Thank goodness I hadn't started casting off. Okay, that's an exaggeration, I'm not that close - but you get my drift.

As I said, I've encountered this before. It's not that the pattern is misleading, or incorrect, I just think it could be clearer. Something like "repeat X times more for a total of Y times" should do the trick. Just sayin'.

Lots of car driving (not by me) this weekend means Pomatomus sock #2 is waiting for a heel turn:

I darkened this picture slightly so as not to burn a hole in anyone's retina!

I'm also starting to contemplate my next project. This started before the shrug issues, and I think that's why I'm annoyed. I really want to do Reid next for Chloe - the weather is a little cooler, especially in the mornings, and I'm looking forward to a quick knit. I am promising here, to the whole world that I will not cast on another project until the shrug is off the needles.

Fall already?

2007-09-06T21:50:00.001-04:00

So my hubby and I had a wonderful weekend away, and Little Miss Chloe had an equally enjoyable weekend with her Grandma. Not surprisingly, Grandma remembered that taking care of a toddler is pretty much life-support - eating, sleeping, diapers, oh - and running.

I got started on my first Pomatomus and tonight I finished the first one. All except the grafting which I usually do both together at the end. Strangely enough, I find it difficult to get shoes on with a long pointy needle across my toes :)

The best part about this pattern is that it definitely keeps you interested as you work it. The chart after the first repeat only needs to be referred to every 7th or 8th row. Also, I think it was designed for my feet! It took EXACTLY 3 repeats along the foot.

See the arrow? See how that last half-circle finishes exactly where the toe starts? I see identical socks coming... say it with me... aaaaahhhhh. Without counting.

As for the Seashell Shrug, it's chugging along. It's incredibly difficult to photograph though. Here it is:

One of the reasons it's taking so long is that the rows are getting longer and longer. I originally picked up just over 200 around the neckhole of the shrug, and I'm now (rough estimation) over 400. A closeup of the increases:

Just so I can prove (to myself more than anyone) that progress is being made, here's the side increase where my markers are. The red markers are every 16 rows, the black one is counting in 4s between the 16s. I need 5 reds to be All Done. Stick with me, we're getting there.

The mornings are beginning to get a little cooler and I'm really looking forward to this being done.

I was watching TV tonight (Big Brother 8) when I saw an ad for Lotto 6-49 (Ontario Lottery) and it got me thinking. If you had an infinite amount of money to spend on ONE knitting project, what would you choose?

Wow, it's been a while!

2007-08-24T09:25:00.000-04:00

Hi folks!

I must say that the reason I haven't posted is because my current projects don't really look much different. The Seashell shrug is coming on well, but since it's all bunched up on the circular needle, it looks like a mess. I've turned the heel on my argyle socks, but these are taking me forever! 10 stitches/inch on 2mm needles for a guy with big feet is taking it's toll. Finally, as you'll see from my sidebar, I've been dyeing yarn. Much fun, although it tends to smell a little. Fine now, as I can open the window, but not sure what I'll do once the snow flies.

Have you heard about Ravelry? I got my invite last week, and have spent far too much knitting time exploring. Come say hi - my username's yarnmagnet (yes, I know, very original!)

My hubby and I are off for a well-deserved weekend away. Little Miss Chloe is going to have a wonderful time hanging out with her Grandma, who's convinced she's forgotten all there is to know about taking care of wee ones. (Trust me, she raised two, and they seem to be doing very well - I'm sure it'll all come back to her.)

Therefore, I needed to find some knitting for the car. I could've taken the argyles, but there's a slim chance I'd finish the first one, and then not have all the yarn to start the second one. The shrug is getting a little large to cart around. So, I've decided to cast on for Pomatomus in Colinette Jitterbug, purchased here. The photo above is a little brighter than real life, but the yarn is QUITE pink. Now, I've knitted a pair of socks out of this yarn, didn't like them, and frogged them. However, I'm thinking that if I started with 2 balls, finished 2 socks, and then frogged them, shouldn't I have 4 balls? I guess I'll worry about that later.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Chicken...

2007-08-04T19:56:00.000-04:00

Booga Bag

I'm ready to felt my Noro Bag, but I'm scared of breaking the washing machine. I'll wait until every piece of laundry is clean first...

Seashell Shrug

The Seashell Shrug is coming along nicely! I've completed the "shrug" portion, tried it on to make sure it fit, sewed up the arms, picked up loads of stitches around the neckline, and am now working the body.

I'd show you a picture of how the shrug part looked, but it was late at night and I think this is one that will need outdoor photos so it doesn't look like a blob.

Sewing up the arms was my first attempt at mattress stitch. Now, I am not the most patient person in the world (stop laughing if you know me!) and mattress stitch nearly killed me. Having said that, I was really pleased with the results:

It's kinda hard to see, so I've added some Amazing Green Lines. The pattern is a 2x2 rib, and since it hasn't been blocked, the purls disappear. The green parallel lines indicate where the purls are. The pattern indicates that the first two and last two stitches on the right side are knit stitches. Since mattress stitch means losing one stitch from either side, you're left with two knits together, flanked by 2 purls on each side - meaning that it becomes nearly impossible to tell it apart from other 2-knit sections (see arrow). Yup, that's my seam. It's slightly bulky there, because of the first and last stitches disappearing to the inside, but otherwise very difficult to tell from the rest of the sleeve!

Once that was done, I picked up a million (well it seemed like it) stitches around the neckline of the shrug:

...and am now working the body. Here's a close-up - I'm about 7 rows in.

Like my hi-tech stitch markers?

My Lucky Number is 7...

2007-07-23T20:18:00.000-04:00

... so I started another project!

This should be a quickie though.

I was at my local yarn store on Saturday, spending my birthday present (thanks Michelle!) and walked away with this in my hot little hands:

That's 3 balls of Noro Kureyon, colour 134 to be made into this, and one ball of Tofutsies sock yarn in a fantastic orangey colour that has not been done justice in the above photo.

I got started right away, and am nearly through my first ball - see? I said it'd be quick! (Aaah 6mm needles how I love thee.)

Actually I'm a little scared by the felting... any advice?

Useless facts

2007-07-21T13:04:00.001-04:00

Did you know that your armspan is approximately your height?

Did you know that when you start the Seashell shrug you first work a shrug from wrist to wrist with some shaping around the neck, then pick up a whole bunch of stitches and knit the rest?

Did you know (or did you deduce from the above two comments) that this means your shrug is really really long? In my case, like 5 feet?

Did you know that I've never been so happy that I'm not any taller!!!

And lastly, where is my Harry Potter Book 7? It's 1:14pm! If you see a crazy gal knitting on her porch this afternoon, looking eagerly at every van/truck it's probably me. Please wave.

One off, one on...

2007-07-11T20:10:00.001-04:00

What does this mean?

That I've started this! (Seashell Shrug from Runway Knits by Berta Karapetyan)

But wait... weren't we holding off on starting something new because all the needles were in use? Why yes. Now before you go thinking that I've succumbed to purchasing multiple needles of the same size just to satisfy my startitis, think again. That money could be better used purchasing, yarn, amongst other things (like chocolate , which is all I can think about while using this yummy colour).

I have finished the curlicue blanket, but it is absolutely refusing to be photographed in a way that is anything near to prettiness. Unfortunately, even after a blocking session, it doesn't lie flat. However, I very much doubt that it will ever be in a state to be laid out flat, if it is to become a favourite snuggling blanket for my daughter. I'm also a little disappointed with the size - it's smaller then I thought, but I'll go into details when I have a picture worth showing!

Until then, a close-up:
P.S. Anyone else excited for Harry Potter this weekend? (If you've seen it already, I won't hate you, but I will sit here with a huge pout until Friday.)

Happy Canada Day!

2007-07-01T19:54:00.001-04:00

Oops...

2007-06-27T20:05:00.001-04:00

Does this look like one of the 6 current works in progress?

I thought of the idea for this on Friday, and couldn't wait to get started (and finished). Let me know what you think - it's the first pattern I've ever designed, and I'd love to hear some feedback! It's a simple stockinette stitch pattern, with I-cord detail around the bottom and top, and it can be done with either normal straps, or the racer back straps seen above. It's made out of 100% cotton, so nice and cool (extremely necessary, since it's 43 degrees here with the humidex today!). You can get the pattern here.

Thanks to my daughter Chloe for being a fantastic model!

Startitis?

2007-06-13T21:14:00.000-04:00

It's been a while, I know. But don't let that fool you into thinking that I haven't been knitting - quite the opposite!

Round 5 of Sock Madness was my last :( here are my completed socks.

This competition was fantastically run, and it really created a whole community, not only for the time that the competition was running, but even today folks are still using the site. Plus, I won a prize!

Sock Madness Prize Yarn, hand-dyed in orange and purple (I see stripes!), chocolate, and there were also some beautiful stitch markers that seem to have walked away for the moment.

So what have I been working on? Well:

1. Curlique, with 5 out of 15 segments done. Still not convinced this is going to lie flat when completed, perhaps why I've slowed down!

2. Eunny's Deep V Argyle Vest. Had to do some craaaazy calculations, as my stitch and row gauge were way off. Just finished the waist decreases, and now need to try it on. I'm scared - I don't want to have to frog all that work!!! (Does that show how sure I am about my numbers?)

3. Mad Weave Sock (from the Sock Madness Patterns) loved the pattern, so started another pair. Only I ran out of yarn while I was in Kingston a few weeks back, and immediately cast on #5.

4. Argyles - I am a little further than this picture shows...

5. Cotton socks - my current commuter project. Unfortunately, with the weather being so hot, and bizarrely coinciding with a lack of air conditioning on my trains means little is getting accomplished.

6. Wait! There is one more - Anemoi Mittens - where the heck did they go? They must have shacked up with those stitch markers...

I used to be a one-project gal, but that has clearly gotten away from me! I can still say, however, that I absolutely refuse to buy needles I already own, and so with the following waiting for me (needles required are in use), hopefully some of the projects above will get done!

Freaky Weather

2007-04-22T21:41:00.000-04:00

The last post, April 9th, showed snow in my backyard. If I had thought to take a picture this weekend, the scene would have been much different. Trees budding, (including my Korean Lilac, phew! thought that one hadn't made it), flipflops, sandals, shorts, t-shirts, sunscreen and sunhats. Summer has arrived, at least for a few more days. Gotta love this country!

Sock madness continues, I'm through to round 5. Here are the winners from round 4:

My husband tells me these look unfortunately like a 70's couch. Would anyone like to share with him that brown is IN??? The yarn is KnitPicks Memories in the S'mores colourway. For those out there not from North America, think chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallows melted over a fire. YUM! The patter is by Tina Loren and these were definitely the hardest so far - an 8 row pattern repeat which was ingrained in my brain by about the 3rd time through. So difficult enough to need attention, but I wasn't having to check the pattern each and every stitch. I think this is about to change though, next round (Friday!) uses a solid coloured yarn so there must be some serious patterning. I'm thinking lace and/or cables.

Just for fun, here are all the sock madness socks so far:

Global Warming?

2007-04-09T22:03:00.000-04:00

We've all heard it - global warming is making the world an increasingly dire place to live. Why then, on Easter weekend, a time of flowers blooming, birds singing, thoughts of lambs skipping through the fields etc, do we have to deal with this?

Sock Madness

Continues (excuse the tights, but it was either that or unsightly legs). Round 3 complete:

On to round 4 for yours truly! My competitor this round was sadly blogless Nicole H, who resides just outside of Munich. A truly multi-cultural world series event. However, I think this has added a previously unintended twist. Nicole and I messaged back and forth quite frequently, which hadn't happened in previous rounds for me. This meant that when Nicole went to bed, she let me know how far along she was on her socks, whereas I, 6 hours behind, still had all evening to catch up/go ahead. Still, her socks are fantastic - she altered them slightly once she realized she was out, and they look awesome. Thanks Nicole for such a fun round!

Curlique

You may have noticed this residing in my sidebar for quite a while now. I started it last fall, but in my "wisdom" I altered the pattern. Since my yarn is self-striping, I thought doing the intended pattern would be a bit much - it's 3 rows stockingette, 1 row garter - so I did all stockingette. Well, this threw my row gauge way off, and also made it curl incredibly. So, after gathering dust for ages, I decided to pull it out (a spring-cleaning, if you will) and sent it to the frog pond. Here's the progress after section 1 was reworked:

C'mon Round 4 - I can't wait any longer! :)

Teaser

2007-04-02T22:24:00.000-04:00

I have come to the realization that I'm not doing much knitting between rounds of Sock Madness. I am working on some socks for Chloe out of the remainder of my yarn from round 1, but nothing to post yet. In the meantime, here's the yarn I'm using for Round 3 which begins on Wednesday:

Colinette "Jitterbug" in Alizarene.

Who says Blackberrys are just for geeky love-work-types???

2007-03-25T21:13:00.000-04:00

According to the BlackBerry website, BlackBerry devices are "A wireless email solution for mobile professionals". My husband and I both have one for work, and although my husband has been hooked for a while now (anyone heard the term CrackBerry?), I thought I could safely say that I could have given mine back at any time without too much of a loss. However, that was before the latest round of Sock Madness.

Round 2 started on Thursday. The organizers said that the pattern would be distributed between 4pm and 10pm (that's a 6 hour spread folks!) which for me, meant the difference between tidying my desk, and going to sleep. A lot of things can happen in that space of time! Still, I started checking my Gmail account about 3pm (Round 1's pattern was posted about an hour earlier than they had originally planned), but nothing arrived before 4:15, at which time I shut down my computer and headed for my train, my yarn and needles burning a hole in my bag.

My husband, fool that he is, managed to get on the same train as me - quite a rarity. I'm glad I didn't bring the camera, and that neither of us have phones with cameras. If we did, the picture would have been of me, clicking "Refresh" idiotically all the way home. My husband was rolling his eyes so hard I thought they might actually stay that way. (Did your parents say that when you were little? I truly believed them for ages.) I nearly jumped out of my seat when the pattern by Karin Bole arrived, and I managed to cast on and knit half a cuff while my husband drove home (via daycare).

By Friday night (okay, early Saturday morning) I had these:

Knitted on 2.75mm Brittany Birch DPNs, using Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in Rainbow. I was really pleased with the cuffs, which pooled really well, but I think the rest of the pattern was just too busy for the yarn. I had a suspicion of this when I saw the pattern, but it was the only sport-weight sock yarn in my possession.

Congratulations go out to my opponent-in-knitting who put up a valiant effort, but mine were finished in just enough time to move me on to Round 3. My lust for socks (and a little competition) has not abated a bit, and I have my Blackberry to thank :)

All Socks, All The Time.

2007-03-14T21:06:00.000-04:00

Sock Madness has begun. Here's my stash prior to starting:

I ordered enough for all 7 pairs. Even if I don't make it very far, I still want to do all the patterns. Round 1 began on Saturday morning, when the first pattern by Jennifer Young was released. By 8pm Sunday evening I had these, and as I was one of the first 16 from my division, I have now moved on to Round 2.

Yep, Sunday evening. One sock a day. New technique - short-row heel. (still have some small holes, but I'll figure that out next time). You'll note that the holes are smaller on the left foot - I'm assuming that was the second one. Yarn: Generic black from I think, Lana Grossa, and Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in River. Others have praised the LLSS, and now I see why. It was such a pleasure to work with, I'm sure that's what made me knit quickly - couldn't wait to get through the black to get back to the blue. Needles - 2.5mm DPNs.

It is still being decided when Round 2 is beginning. From now on, it's heads-up. My competition is here. By the way - she left me a taunting note - anyone want to get her back??? For now, my Sock Madness Stash now looks like this:

For now, I'm resting my fingers. Anyone know of a good finger-therapist? Ouch!

Adventures in Dyeing, Part 3

2007-03-05T22:09:00.000-05:00

So after finally getting through to the baggage office, we have been told that our camera has not been found. (Meaning, someone decided they needed a new camera.) Personally, I'd be much more upset if we didn't have a means to get our holiday pictures, but it disturbs me that there are people who care so little about others that they would steal a camera that has someone else's potentially important photos on it.

On a more positive note, it means we got to go shopping for this:

It's bigger than the last camera, which theoretically means it will be harder to leave behind.

Finished socks!

The Bayeresche socks on the left were finished just prior to our vacation, the Jaywalkers on the right, just after.

Bayeresche socks in KnitPicks Palette, Pool Colour. (Do my feet look fat in that one, or is it just me?)

Jaywalker socks in KnitPicks Bare, dyed with Grape and Ice Blue Raspberry Lemonade Kool-Aid.

Closeups:

I'm really happy with the Jaywalkers - look how well they match! Plus, there's enough left for some little ones for the little one.

Sock Madness

Yarn has been ordered from Red Bird Knits and KnitPicks, and I am checking my mailbox daily. I can't wait for a group shot!

Airlines.

2007-02-28T21:45:00.000-05:00

The reason I haven't been around is that we have been on vacation to England for two weeks. While we were there, Baby Arwen was delivered to her rightful owner, an entire Icarus Shawl was knitted, and socks from home-dyed yarn were played with. I'd love to show you some pictures, but we left our camera on the plane.

Trying to get it back has been a nightmare in that we can't seem to get through to anyone. We really need to talk to the baggage folks at the airport, but the only way to get directed to them is through the airline we used. This airline only has staff at the airport during certain hours, when all flights for that airline arrive, and we've tried for two days now, but every time the airline folks try to connect us to the baggage folks, there's no one there. Has anyone else had this nightmare?

On the plus side, our friend downloaded copies of all our pics before we left so that she had them for herself, so the worst case scenario, is that we've lost the camera, but not the pictures.

While I was away, I was successful in signing up for

which I'm really excited about! However I'll need a camera to post pics of my socks during the competition. So, either we get lucky with the airline, or there will be some unnecessary camera shopping.

I'll let you know how I get on. Right now, it's off to KnitPicks for me to do a LARGE sock yarn order!

Lotsa little things

2007-02-04T19:47:00.000-05:00

FO from 2006

I knit these socks for my friend Danielle for Christmas and she finally sent me a photo:

Details: Generic top-down sock pattern, 2.5mm DPNs, yarn from KnitPicks but I don't remember what it was called - no longer there.

For the perfectionist, you will note that they NEARLY match. The only place they don't is right at the ankle. See where the two red stripes are really close together, with a small section of yellow between them? On one sock, this is 2 rows, on the other, just one. I seriously considered frogging the heel of the second one to make it match, but thought that was being a leeeetle obsessive!

Nearly Finished Baby Arwen

This is my extremely-modified Cardigan for Arwen from Interweave Knits, Winter 2006. It's for a one year old, and just requires a zipper and it will be complete!

I knit it mostly to-pattern, (except scaled down), except for the hood which I knit in one piece, which I was quite pleased with. I re-knit it about 3 times, and I think it's still not quite there - I think it needs to be a little deeper.

A close up of the front cabling (also different from pattern):

I'll put some more details with the finished photos. I was going to use my daughter to model it, but I will be in England in a few weeks, and hopefully I'll be able to post photos with the intended recipient instead!

More Argyles

A current work in progress: a second pair of argyles for a friend who will currently remain nameless since I haven't asked their permission.

Difference from last time - those yarn bobbins sure make life easier!

Adventures in Dyeing (Part 2 of 3)

2007-02-01T19:24:00.000-05:00

Also known as Before, During and After

Remember The Knot? That took about 4 hours (approximately 5 episodes of Buffy the Vampire, Season 5) to get out. As a kid, my friends and I were really into Cats Cradle - remember that? A shoelace = hours of entertainment, and I was always really good at getting the obligatory knots out. Now I know why!

After the knot was removed, I finished winding around my chairs, then I tied the yarn every 30 inches or so just to keep it together, and did different (see orange above) colours where the colour changes should go.

Then I dunked it in warm water:

Put the requisite sections in the Kool-Aid water, and zapped for 2 minutes, let it rest for 2 minutes and then zapped for 2 minutes again (all on high).

Once it was cooled, I rinsed again:

You can probably see from the photo that I have unintentially ended up with a tie-die effect. Now, if this was all one colour, I might have left it, but after spreading to dry, I think I'm going to re-dye the whitish parts so that they're as dark as the rest. I'm really happy with the teal and purple though, it's taking all my willpower not to start knitting with it!

Sock Madness

Have you heard about this? Those that know me would quickly agree that "competitiveness" is high on my list of attributes. Whether this is a flaw or an asset is a subject for debate. All I know is that competition + knitting??? Yes please!

Adventures in Yarn Dyeing (Part 1 of ?)

2007-01-28T19:25:00.000-05:00

Warning - not for the faint-of-heart

I've read a lot about dyeing one's own yarn. See here, here and here. I've drunk a lot of Kool-Aid in my time. (Friends from university in England thought it was bizarre.) This weekend, I thought it was time to give it a try.

The players:
2 packets Grape Kool-Aid
2 packets Ice Blue Raspberry Kool-Aid
1 100g hank Knit Picks Superwash/Nylon yarn

I chose the superwash solely because I did not want this to become a first time trying dyeing and felting in one.

Things started well. I'd chosen my pattern - Jaywalkers (again - see green socks)

I cast on in a different colour, and worked four rounds in pattern (pattern takes two rounds). Then I frogged, and worked out how much yarn I was using per round (32 inches).

I decided that I wanted the following yarn colour progression:
2 rounds colour A
4 rounds colour B
6 rounds colour A
4 rounds colour B.

Therefore, I needed 32x16=512 inches per pattern repeat. Thank goodness for our long, narrow house. I put two chairs ~250 inches apart, and started winding.

Hey! See that snow outside? Winter did arrive! I have proof: Chloe's first venture outside in full snowsuit.

Yes, I'm totally distracting you for the horror ahead. If you need to, come back and look at that picture. Cute! Of course it took longer to get her dressed than she actually spent outside, but that's half the fun. At least she's in diapers and I don't have to hear "Mommy, I gotta pee" once she's ready!

Does it look like there is probably not an entire hank's worth wrapped around the chair? Even if the chairs are ~250 inches apart? You're right:

Yes, that's one giant knot. Told you this wasn't for the faint of heart. Wish me luck...

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

2007-01-23T21:57:00.000-05:00

Receiving yarn for Christmas is a wonderful present. This year, 2 skeins of this:

Now winter was late in arriving to this part of the world. We had a very green Christmas, and truly green, not brown. Now we have snow, and waiting for the train in the morning is definitely chilly. (read - freezing. Sub-zero temps. Plus windchill.) Many of you may not realize the benefit of owning multiple scarves. They make the same boring coat new again - who can resist this splash of colour against a black coat?

The colour is closer to the picture on the left, but the picture on the right shows the detail better. A simple 3-row pattern (Cascade from Vogue Knitting Stitchionary #1, another Christmas Present), fully reversible and no curling whatsoever. I haven't blocked it yet, so keen was I to wear it. I think it will stretch a little, as it's 100% alpaca.

I'm thinking that Eunny's Anemoi Mittens in black and pink will bring the whole ensemble together...

Math Stuff

2007-01-03T22:00:00.000-05:00

Wednesday nights I tutor two boys I met while coaching their kid sister soccer. They are currently in grades 10 and 11, and math is getting trickier. For me, math was one of my better subjects. Yes, you may think this makes me a nerd (and you're probably not too wrong), but I never realized how many aspects of my life I would use math in.

Work, definitely. Home, measuring drywall, baking, finances, all math related. Knitting, more math related than I had imagined.

All these numbers to scale down Cardigan for Arwen to fit a toddler. There's a lot of long division and ratios there. Do I own a calculator? Of course - but it was too far away.

Results? Getting there. The pattern calls for the hood to be worked in two sections, as extensions of the left and right fronts. During finishing, the hood is sewn together and is then sewn to the middle of the back section. I'm deviating from the pattern, and am working the hood as one piece using live stitches from the two fronts and the back. Lets hope it works!

Back to math for a sec - do you think that the next time my students ask "But I'm NEVER going to use this in real life" that answering with "you will if you knit" will get me anywhere?

2006-12-23T12:50:00.000-05:00

My apologies for the gap in posting. Trust me, it isn't because I haven't been knitting - pretty much the opposite. Reading everyone's blogs at this time of year always amazes me - the amount of knitting that gets done in such a short time just because of that little deadline of December 25th.

Myself, I had three projects in mind. One, a pair of socks for Danielle at work. I'll have a pic once she sends one to me. I actually finished the second one and grafted the toe at her desk. So much for the plans of running them through the washer and dryer before she got them (and perhaps wrapping them in festive paper).

Two, Cardigan for Arwen from Interweave Knits scaled down for my friend's daughter Sophie. That, sadly didn't make it. Her birthday is early Jan, so it's turned into a birthday present instead.

Three, Icarus Shawl from Interweave Knits. This one has been in progress for about a month. I used Alpaca Cloud from Knitpicks, colourway Midnight. I knew from the start that I'd be deviating from the pattern somewhat. The yarn called for is 400 yards/50 grams, and mine is 440 yards/50 grams. So, it has slightly more wpi, and is therefore slightly finer. When I started, using the suggested needles (3.25mm circular) it felt all wrong, so I switched to 2.5mm. I thought that I might put in an extra repeat of chart 1, but thought I might run out of yarn. So, as I doggedly worked through it, I was constantly worried that it was going to be too small. Plus, this thing takes forever. Thank goodness I had this week off work, and that my daughter still naps for at least 2 hours a day. Or there would have been some extremely late nights.

This was also my first lace project, so I had no idea how the blocking worked. Thank goodness for Eunny's timely blog entry on blocking! And for her suggestion for using baby shampoo if one doesn't own wool wash. (can't find any locally, may need to order???) Baby shampoo we have aplenty here.

Enough with the verbage, on with the photos!

Before blocking, on the couch:

In it's baby shampoo bath, and draining: (yes, I rinsed too)

My daughter, who woke up just before I finished, decided to help:

Finally, blocking:

Freed from it's pins, the size is perfect. I'd take some photos outside, now it's ready, but...

Isn't it Christmas? Aren't I in Canada? WHERE'S THE SNOW???

Top 5 Reasons to Commute by Train

2006-12-10T18:57:00.000-05:00

#5 It's better for the environment.

#4 Saves money. Parking in Toronto is pricey. Plus, those gas prices aren't pretty.

#3 Time to finish that last-minute report or prep for that meeting I had forgotten about.

#2 How else could I sleep through the commute and get to work on time?

#1 Two weeks = Four socks

Details: Memories Sock Yarn from KnitPicks, 2 skeins. There's probably enough left for a third little sock, but not a fourth. I'll use it if I lose one of the above. My socks: 64sts around on 2.5mm needles, DD's socks are 42sts around on 2.5mms.

Baby Galadriel

2006-12-07T19:27:00.000-05:00

So I've decided that I've changed Cardigan for Arwen too much to keep calling it that. Baby Arwen was cute, but then I decided that the cable was just too heavy. It took up more than a third of the width of the left front, and I felt that it was going to be so stiff, that the hood would stand up by itself! (Not a feature I was going for.) So, cable change = name change, so I went with the other elf.

So, it was frogged, and now I've finished the left front (minus the hood) and started the right.

Closeup of sleeve cuff and front cable - basic braid. The only problem is that it's not reversible. Still, I like the balance much better.

Finally, I started the Bayerische Socks by Eunny ages ago, and got stopped about here:

The problem? I think they're too small. If I start to try them on, the needles start to bend (2mm). All my circs are currently in projects. If I take it off the needles, I have to try and pick up all 96 of those little stitches. Also, it took me forever to get this far!

The dilemma is huge. On the plus side, the pattern is divine, and quite easy to learn. I just love the way the ribbing flows into the cables, and now all my socks are going to have twisted ribbing - it's so much neater!

Rollingpinde???

2006-12-03T19:16:00.000-05:00

In it's natural habitat, the rolling pin is a happy, content, extremely comfortable piece of kitchen software. It understands the intermingling of flour, salt and water - it's best friends when it comes to my DH's famous pizza dough.

It may look like a strange shape to you, but my DH tells me this is a French rolling pin.

In this ballwinder-free home (until Xmas I hope - it's on my list!), it was time to become more than a rolling pin, a multi-tasker if you will. Alton Brown is a big fan of the multi-tasker, as anyone who watches his show will tell you.

How's this???

Memories Merino sock yarn from KnitPicks in the Rocky Mountain colourway. Centre-pull goodness. Let's get started!

Project Clash

2006-11-26T08:38:00.000-05:00

Not as in, Project "Clash", but more as in multiple projects clashing. There's only so much time in a day, people!

So my two KAL projects are coming along nicely. Baby Arwen was proceeding very quickly, here's the completed back:

My apologies for the awful pictures, but it's really hard to take decent photos when one leaves the house before it gets light, and gets home after it's already dark. Of course, some might say, "but she's posting on Sunday". That's true, but the pics were taken during the week.

The back, like everyone else's, is square, and pretty boring. Large swatch, some might say. The only drama here, and it's not unique, others have been doing it too, is knitting the folded up section in as you go - less sewing later!

Left front begun:

And that's as far as I got before my Alpaca Cloud arrived for Icarus. Let me say how pleased I am with this yarn (despite having to wind it by hand - the ballwinder's on my Christmas list, 440 yards is not fun). The colourway is Midnight, and I thought it was going to be black. Although the main colour is black, it's got some great depth, greens and blues - can't wait to see this in real light! First repeat of Chart 1 complete:

See the complete absence of lifelines? Yup, I like living on the edge. Crazy? Maybe.

If they only knew...

2006-11-18T12:38:00.000-05:00

So I've signed up for two Cardigan for Arwen KALs (as well as an Icarus KAL, but that's another story). I didn't mean to sign up for two, I didn't think one was allowing me to sign up, so I signed up for a different one, then realized the first one had worked. However, seeing as how I mean to knit this pattern at least twice, I think this is okay.

Although I already have the yarn/needles/swatch done for the version for me, up first is one for my friend's daughter who is nearly one. Yes, one. Twelve months. Small. That means a lot of altering of the pattern.

So, I did this swatch last night:

Although the yarn is worsted weight, similar to that called for in the pattern, the swatch is done on size 4mm (size 6) needles instead of 5mm. I just found that the cable looked a little sloppy in the 5mm (size 8). The cable on the right is an altered version using single stitch width cables instead of the doubles used in the pattern. I thought that using the same cable on a child's cardigan might have been a little overpowering, but I think it's still going to look okay.

Also, it's a cheat swatch - I've used this yarn before, so I know what will happen in the washer/dryer - so, I'm not going to wait a day to see what happens. Yeah, I'm a risk taker that way.

Other modifications - I'm thinking about doing it with a zipper down the front, which took a lot of math - the pattern as written overlaps the cables, with no fastening when measuring the chest. Also, I'm looking for ways to avoid as much seaming as possible - we'll see whether they work or not as we go along.

Lets get started!

P.S. I'm sure my neighbours must think I'm crazy taking photographs of little pieces of yarn. Just think what they would do if they knew that after these photos? The needles are coming off, and the yarn reverted to it's former, (but slightly more crinkly) state.

Gargoyle Socks?

2006-11-16T19:27:00.000-05:00

Weeee another pair of socks off the needles (and on some feet). In this case, my DH's. By the way, one is not shorter than the other, they just haven't been pulled up evenly.

Pattern: Moth Heaven's Argyle Socks
Yarn: KnitPicks Palette in Black, Ash and Pool
Yardage: 75 grams Black, 50 grams Ash, a little Pool
Needles: 2.5mm DPNs

Instead of knitting these flat, (see previous entries - I hate sewing), I used a neat trick - do a yarnover at the beginning of the round, and then knit the last stitch of the round and the yarnover together. Then, turn so you are about to purl back the way you came, yarnover, purl the round and purl the last stitch together with the yarnover. Turn, so you are about to knit, and off you go again. It leaves quite a neat little seam, which I neglected to photograph.

Our friend, who shall remain nameless to save his pride, was talking about these socks while we were out at dinner. Unfortunately, he couldn't remember the term "argyle", and decided to call them "gargoyle" instead.

Now, I'm sure there are plenty of people out there knitting Arrrrgyle socks, but I'm thinking the pattern for Gargoyle socks would be much more complicated!

Happy Belated Birthday!

2006-11-12T12:32:00.000-05:00

This is supposed to be a knitting blog, a place for me, and me alone. However, our home webpage is toast because our other (supposedly superior) computer broke and we lost our webpage software.

We've been promising these pics for ages - here we go!

My mum used to make amazing birthday cakes for us when we were kids, and I wanted to continue the tradition. Year 1 - ENORMOUS CUPCAKE! The pictures in the background are one for each month.

What birthdays are all about - opening presents!

Finally, eating cake. The recommendations floating around today suggest not offering chocolate until the age of one. Needless to say, there were no problems adjusting to this new flavour (oh come on, she's my daughter!):

We also have a great clip of her (well, Dad) blowing out the candle, but Blogger doesn't accept video clips. Afraid you'll have to wait until the home site is back up and running...

Lets call them green

2006-11-08T19:33:00.000-05:00

I've finally finished my first pair of Jaywalkers! I know I'm seriously behind this trend, but I probably knitted these three times by the time I finished. All my fault.

Firstly, I didn't check the needle size. I remembered that Grumperina almost always uses size 0 (2mm) needles, and assumed that this would be no different. So, I knit the entire first sock without even trying them on. I wanted the surprise. Or so I thought. When I couldn't get the first one on my foot, I realized something was wrong.

First, I thought, my heel flap was too short. I had noted from others who had knit the Jaywalker pattern that the pattern itself was not too stretchy. I figured if the heel flap was longer, I'd have no problem getting the sock on. So, I cast on again, merrily knit (on 2mm) the ribbing, the ankle, the heel flap, turned the heel and did my gusset decreases and tried them on again. I'm sure you can see where I'm going here, I still couldn't get them on, and I was MAD.

Next thought: I'm knitting really tightly, perhaps I'm stressed. Maybe I'll go up a needle size and try again. Wait, before I do that lets check the pattern. Oh. 2.25mm. I guess that explains it.

Still, after finally finishing, I have decided that I LOVE this pattern and will definitely do it again. Once the rage wears off. (For anyone that's interested, the yarn is Regia, not sure of the colourway, purchased at The Wool Bin in Oakville. If I'd finished them sooner, the label would have still been around and I'd know what colour they were. Lets call them green.)

Evil, or just Really Hungry?

2006-11-01T08:40:00.000-05:00

Since I was having difficulties getting a decent indoor photo of my scarf, I headed outside where I found this:

Our birdfeeder, faithfully filled up on Sunday, to provide some sustenance for those poor birds who decide for whatever reason not to migrate from our frigid country. It hasn't even snowed yet. I blame the Mourning Doves - they seem to be the bird bullies around here.

On a happier note, a finished object!

Pattern: Yarn Harlot
Yarn: Red Heart Light and Lofty in Cafe au Lait
Yardage: about 160 yards (slightly more than one ball)
Yarn Source: Michaels
Needles: 8mm (US 11) (Mine are marked 8mm, but are actually 7.5mm according to my needle-sizing tool - I don't think that there is a US equivalent for 7.5mm?)
Gauge: 11st to 4in in pattern
Final Size - 7 x 60 inches

This was a great knit - really quick (of course the variance between using 8mm needles vs the 2mm needles on DH's socks helps) and the finished result is perfect, and balances really nicely with my new brown jacket. I'd take photos, but I don't have a mirror in my backyard (really!) and the pics I'm trying to take indoors just aren't working. The yarn colour was perfect - cafe au lait - I was originally thinking cream, but this yarn is cream with a little brown in it and works even better.

Girls Rule!

2006-10-26T10:26:00.000-04:00

Every couple of months, a group of us have poker night. This started as a guys-only deal, but lately the girls have been playing too. Replace "playing" with "losing our money" because the guys ALWAYS won. Until Saturday, when I won!

Since the first words out of everyone's mouths was some version of "so how much yarn can you buy for that?", you can definitely tell that I have become an out-of-the-closet knitter! So it was as much of a surprise to me as it was to everyone else that my first winnings purchase was a new fall jacket. I'd been eyeing this brown suede jacket for a few weeks, decided to put it on my Christmas list (rendering it my new spring coat instead), and as luck would have it, it was on sale! Talk about meant to be!

Still, new jacket, new scarf? Must be done:

Now last night I had told myself that I must finish DH's sock #1, but I was having to tink back a few rows because I'd started my toe decreases too soon. Lost is not the show to be watching whilst you're having to pay attention to something. So, the scarf was started. Yes, that makes 5.

As if three weren't enough...

2006-10-20T19:36:00.000-04:00

I had to start a fourth project.

Now for you knitters out there with no sense of fidelity, I'm sure four is nothing. However, for this one-project-at-a-time knitter, things are getting a little out of hand.

It may have been the 2 feet of snow that Buffalo got last week, that we, only a few hours away in the Great White North evaded, or it may have been the YARN SALE at Michaels, but I felt I needed a new scarf.

So, a few balls of Moda Dea Dream later, the scarf began.

I'm still trying to remember where I saw this pattern, suffice it to say, it was somewhere on the web. Go look - I dare you - it's out there somewhere (and if you find it, please let me know so I can give full credit to the designer).

The colour is right in the first picture, the second is more to show the holey-ness. Here's my question - is it holey enough? Or should I go up a needle size or two? I can't decide. Any comments would be appreciated. (Bearing in mind that Canada does tend to get a little chilly between October and May.)

Socks!

2006-10-16T19:32:00.000-04:00

So my current stay-at-home project is taking quite a bit longer than I thought. I'm working on argyle socks - a project I had wanted to start for myself - but hastily grabbed by my DH.

"Why don't you knit me socks?" he inquires. (Well, mainly because the second he comes into the house he takes off any socks that he might have been wearing. If it's the weekend, chances are he isn't wearing any.)

So here we go:

Pattern from Moth Heaven - thank you!

Since I abhore seaming, I'm knitting these in the round - actually much simpler than I thought. According this website, you just do a yarn over at the beginning of the round, and then knit it together with the last stitch in the round. Then, turn your work around, yarnover, and purl back the way you came. This way, you don't need to carry the yarn not being worked at all. Pretty nifty!

Of course, there are a lot of pieces of yarn to keep track of...

Yikes!

Wouldn't want to keep anyone waiting...

2006-10-13T15:00:00.000-04:00

So here's my project - I just had to find my camera.

The pattern is Oberstdorf from Dale of Norway, in a mixture of sock and baby yarns. Needles = 2.0mm and 2.5mm circulars, company long forgotten. Here's a closeup of the main colour section:

I love this pattern - it's not too challenging, although I wouldn't recommend it if you haven't done colourwork before. The added bonus, is that the only seaming is at the underarms - the rest is knit entirely on circulars. To someone who detests sewing up knitting projects, this was wonderful.

Just to show how much fun this pattern is, I've already completed the matching hats in two colourways. The purple one is for my daughter, to match the sweater of course, and the orange is for my friend's daughter, who is obsessed with orange. My friend, that is, not her daughter. She's still a little young to have a colour preference.

Welcome to my blog!

2006-10-13T08:46:00.000-04:00

As you can guess from the title, this blog will be extremely craft-based! Although the majority of my postings will be knitting related, I also crochet and cross-stitch.

I first thought of starting a blog during the Knitting Olympics where I was part of Team Canada, but couldn't think of a decent blog name.

Finally, after completing my latest project, I decided it was time - I am so proud of this FO, that I want to share it with the world!