October is here...What?! Already!

Doesn't this just look like the best way to cozy up on a fall or (gasp) winter day? It's also the shot I use for my wallpaper on my iPhone.

I hide my chocolate stash in my Sheep Cookie Jar from Parry Sound. My kids gave up looking (and they never looked very hard anyway, if you angled the package right they didn't even know it was in there) and it was dark, healthy chocolate, but it doesn't seem to matter how much they complain about it, if they find it then they'll eat it.

And my coffee that day was a special treat! I used cinnamon flavoured whipped cream instead of half and half (5%) and then sprinkled it with a chocolate, sugar, cinnamon mix that President's Choice has available. This combination works well on French toast too.

The mug is from a local potter and now it's my morning cup for my coffee. Period.

So, yes, I've been knitting, but nothing really to show you. I apologize Transitknitter for not bringing more show and tell...maybe next week.

I've been busy making babies...my kids are having trouble with that statement...I went back to work at a Fertility Clinic and am having a wonderful time helping people make their dreams of parenthood come true. I am, however, feeling the effects of the busy fall season and think I need to lay low for a few days to make sure that these sniffles just fade away...

October is an emotional month for a lot of people; so everybody?

Share the love and remember that each day is a gift.

Random, Rapid Fire, Catchup! Part I

There are three posts here people! I shut out the world (after my husband went back to work) and got the pictures and vignettes that I wanted out there! I have now also realized that my daughter stayed late after school for Cross Country practice and I have to go get her...so here we go!

1) I made this apron for my dear friend Sam who had a special birthday last week... I'm not saying how many, but I think you'll be able to figure it out. The apron is reversible and I'd like to thank the Castoffs for their help in helping me work out the finishing details.

2) AND THIS IS WHY I DECIDED TO POST TODAY!!! The Yarn Harlot is reorganizing and wondered what the rest of us did with our knitting books, ie. how they were sorted. Mine are kind of by subject and so I thought I'd show you how it all looks.

This lone one is on my desk, my recently ie. yesterday, cleaned off and laptop usable desk. I hadn't seen the book for a while (see: yesterday, cleaned off) and wanted to keep it close so that it doesn't wander off again.

These are my newest additions that haven't really made it up to where I thought I might be keeping ALL my knitting books...oh, looks like there's a few none knitting books there too...

These are my magazines and leaflet type books. They live alongside yarn. It makes everyone happy. The magazines are filed by type, ie. Vogue, Knitter, Interweave Knits, etc. and on a good day in order; they are only filed here after they've been replaced on my table by the current issue.

Here's my official knitting book shelf. Funny, I remember it being fuller. I guess I should move some of the others into the open spaces here.

I also have a shelf in another bookcase where my knitting fiction lives. That's where the Yarn Harlot books are too. All of them. Autographed.

I have way too much stuff, but if there's one thing that that Hoarder show does do, besides make you want to reorganize. It's makes you realize that you don't really have a problem; those other people? They have a problem.

Now, if you'll excuse me. I have to go get my daughter and grab some knitting...on 4.5mm Signature Needles!

Random, Rapid Fire, Catchup! Part I b)

But Wait There's more!!

1) I was working on that table awhile back. It's done, set up and doing the job just fine, thank-you very much. I found out a little secret after all was said and done. Apparently, the varnish does not leave little pink dots on your work if you leave it out to dry. Apparently, when your daughter spray paints pink paint onto your work area you get little pink dots on your work.


2) Damson finished and b e a u t i f u l. You may see this again real soon. It's a shawlette that has looked wonderful on anybody who's tried it on. Love. It.

3) We went to the Hoe Down. Yup. Hoe Down.
Save a horse; ride a cowboy. I said, Save a horse; ride a cowboy!

4) O.K. GADGET ALERT!! Superstore. Right now! $9.97 (I paid $12 whatever; still worth it). I thought it looked like a nice little something to work on in a poorly lit, not firm and lacking in drink setting options kind of place. Turns out that's only half of it! I had to open the back to put the batteries in for the light. It had a flimsy bag of those little styrofoam ball thingies that stick to everything should they ever escape from above mentioned flimsy bag, and I thought, "Hey, what if...."

I stored the yarn to make this wonderful sweater (that I picked up at the Knitter's Fair) and then nobody would see the yarn, it would always be close to be loved and it makes a way better cushion than that flimsy styrofoam stuff.

5) I love it when I find new places to hide stash.

Random, Rapid Fire, Catchup! Part II

Blogging is a lot like housework. If you just did a little everyday then it wouldn't turn into one great big job that virtually overloads your system.

It's a lot like tying in ends at the end of an intarsia sweater too.

1) Last day of summer Holidays=Last day of Harry Potter Exhibit, and it was amazing!! These four have been friends since the boys started kindergarten together and the girls were 1. It's a pretty easy day out...they've got each other and I've got an Emergency Knitting Kit.

2) I took a sock in progress to the Knitter's Fair with 3 of some of my dearest knitting friends. We had muffins, coffee, laughter and yarn fumes. A day just doesn't get much better. There was some stash enhancement, some fibre enhancement and some gadget enhancement. Oh and books too!

3) I made a lovely Lavender (that my husband grew) and peach dessert from the magazine in the shot. I thought I was showing you the difference that can happen in batches of batter if you overmix one. It turns out I was showing you what happens when you double the sugar in one of the batches. It tasted like candy. mmmmm

4) I was knitting Damson and became obsessively monogamous! I didn't know what could cause such a change in behaviour.

Fun pattern? I have lots of those on the go.

Lovely yarn? I have a basement (cough, more, cough) full of beautiful yarn.

The only new element was the Signature Needles.

OMG!! Sigh. Gasp. Swoon. They make all the difference in the world. Really! They are that good. I now get excited when I find a pattern that calls for 4.0mm and 4.5mm, because that's the only sizes I have right now and remain pretty focused on these projects so that I can complete them and move on to the next! It is sooo weird! I sound, like, I'm totally, 13 or something. Ohmygaawwd!

5) I finished that linen scarf and got it all put together and it is b e a u t i f u l!! I have to agree with the designers, this pattern does work with any combination. To review, I worked to halves and then did a three needle bind off to get a mirror effect and it now has a lovely pink stripe running down the centre and into the fringe. If you need and/or would like to see more of any of these projects just leave a comment and I'll post some other views.


Happy Knitting!

Sorry...and there was shopping!

Three reasons for the apology:

1) It's been so long since this next installment of my Haliburton adventure!
2) Some of the pictures are posted on their side.
3) I'm Canadian.

So yeah, back to Jan Knits where I picked up the yarn that was actually called for in this Knitty pattern.
Just tilt your head to the right.

And here is some fibre waiting to be spunnnnnn...

Again with the head tilt.

After much debate and a couple (or three) visits to the shop, we came up with this yarn for this sweater designed by Fiona Ellis in the latest Vogue magazine. When I told Jan that I was looking for sock yarn for a sweater she knew exactly which one I was talking about as she too, is looking forward to making it!

Tilting is over now.

Haliburton is home to a number of different artisans and there is a gallery that I always like to visit, where I picked up these gems.

The cup is done by a local potter which is now in my new bathroom...the cup; not the potter. The card is done by fibre artist Jane Selbie. I went to her studio a couple of years ago; it is quite inspiring! Bits of fabric everywhere; no wonder I have trouble letting go of my scraps when I see all the potential that's there! There was another card that I liked that had an old school house on a hill; the different fabrics and textures really appealed to me...and then I saw the sheep. So there you go.

One last bit of Yarn Stash Enhancement.

This year I was lucky enough to be in Haliburton when there was not only the Artisan Fair, but also a quilt show! So, I'm walking around the show (in obscene, stifling heat) admiring some wonderful workmanship...did I mention it was stupid hot? And came upon some yarn, honestly the stuff just jumps out at me sometimes, I recognized the lady, but no sign. Marty's is the local Health Food 'Emporium' in Haliburton; with a yarn shop. I know, those two things go hand in hand in my mind too. Anywho, she had a booth set up with some needlecraft things available to purchase and I found a kit for this purse that she designed. She said that she taught this to her beginner classes and I just thought it was a nice little learning Entrelac project; felting's not a bad thing either...I think I'll line it with some pretty fabric though, you know, because I have difficulty throwing out scraps.

Oh, I also bought a quilt kit for a sewing room wallhanging. Boy it was hot!!

**Update**

I haven't starting knitting any of these purchases. I HAVE, however wound all the skeins into balls. A girl's gotta start somewhere!

Home With A Few Things To Share!

We had some good weather this time around at the cottage that meant lots of beach time, but I still managed to get some time in for the things that I love to do!

Here's the pieces of my Linen Scarf. Technically, the holiday ended on August 8; so last night I did the final 450 stitch three needle bind off, and so it counts as a completed holiday knit. It's blocking now; I'll show you how it all turns out soon.




I did get to try out my Spinolution Bee Travel Wheel with some fun red Fleece Artist. (move the curser to the far right)

(The pedicure has held up pretty well since last post hasn't it?)

This is the B E A U T I F U L yarn that I made.
I spun singles.
I plied it.
I wound it around upside down table legs (my kids were, once again, freaked out with my resourcefulness...I think the name MacGyver was mentioned).
I soaked the yarn in some shampoo I had.
I hung it out to dry on a tree with a wonderful cottage breeze to dry it.

I wound it into a hank and set it upon the driftwood that is on "Driftwood Beach" and took a number of photos (again the children were watching with looks of concern and wonder. HA!!)

I then started on some Sweet Georgia Yarns BFL that I brought...and it was a wonderful thing.

With my one red hank and my one gold single I went back into town to see the lovely lady at JanKnit's Studio in Haliburton to show off my accomplishments.

I'll show you what I may or may not have picked up while in town....I admit nothing...at least not today!

Still here....a random update.

Yeah, still here and I knew I wanted to write something, but wasn't sure what exactly so I looked at some of my most recently loaded photos and came up with this random update:

1) Linen Stitch scarf:

I've been asked to teach this class at Pick Up Sticks and decided to make one of my own. I'm using Dream In Colour from my stash. The pattern calls for Koigu and commented that "any colour combination works well," so I chose 3 'stand alone colours' and as I worked the first pattern repeat, I wasn't too sure that I agreed with the "any combination..." statement.


And then I brought in the pink again! Wow!

It's a very Zen like knit and I'm modifying it a bit as I go (because that's what I do), one tip that I did take to heart was the suggestion to put a marker every 50 stitches to help with the 450 stitch cast on and keep the pattern in check as well. I plan to get it finished while I'm away over the next two weeks and hope to get a picture posted around the second week of August.

2)This is my roomy Jenn. She really is my favourite roomy!

Now, why would a married woman with two kids, a dog, two cats and some fish have a favourite roomy named Jenn? Because we are part of the Red Hot Mamas and when we go for our annual weekend away (hopefully a full week in a few years) she and I share a room and it works out just great. This year, as we enjoyed a quiet, rainy day, she says, "I can knit", picks up my sock and knits! She was a little hesitant because she "didn't want to mess up my knitting", but I was so excited to see her (or any of my 'mama-sista-friends') knit I assured her, 'I can fix anything. It's only knitting.'

I love that I've figured that out!

So she knit until she ran out of needle, because this four needle business is a little intense.

And I was very happy; not only was I happy, I was....

Oh Yeah!

**So, we're off to the cottage for a couple of weeks. I have wine, wool, (yarn and rovings), a spinning wheel, but no whoppers....yet. I'll let you know how everything goes. Keep cool and knit on!**