Let's Play A Little Game

GUESS WHAT?!?!?!

WHY?

HERE'S WHY!!!

No, really. Guess!

Knitting and stuff.

Like a good little knitter, I swatched my new yarn purchase...hey Thursday!

Purchased from Needles and Pins in London, ON: Dream In Colour Smooshy - Grey Tabby, combined with Rowan Kidsilk Haze and Kidsilk Spray, knit on 6 mm needles in double moss (that's what I call it anyway); it will someday (I hope) be 'Workweek', a blazer styled sweater on page 46 of Knitter's Spring 2010, issue K98.

Speaking of Knitter's....watch here for some exciting news in the upcoming weeks...

Here we have a Sunflower Design (Susan Pandorf) being worked and this is what two skeins of sock yarn knit up look like. I'm more than half way done.

When I read Susan's post about this pattern she mentioned that the knitting became kind of meditative after a while and when I started this I wasn't sure I would agree with her, but she was right! Uncharacteristically, for me anyway, I actually want to keep knitting this one! It's my 'go to project' right now and it's a very enjoyable knit. I'm using Tanis Fibres yarn; so that may account for a good part of my enjoyment.

I have a skirt that the colours go with perfectly; so I'm really trying to get it done in time to wear in the short warm(ish) season we get!

Speaking of short warm seasons....here's a hat I made. Yes, made and finished!! Woohoo!

I took Grumperina's pattern and ventured into a bit of Nicky Epstein and used up all of the beads that I bought! I didn't prestring my beads and due to the thicker yarn the crochet hook method did present some challenges, but over all I'm happy with it. And because I finished a project using beads I then allowed myself to visit That Bead Lady once again...you know you're in trouble when the owner of a store is asking about projects you bought beads for (on more than one occasion) that are still waiting for you to even start; so I set myself a goal to finish something before I could go back in there. It was fun to see all the beads again; so much fun, I went back two days in a row!

I was hoping that having an embellishment on one side would make it look better on me, (I have short hair and this style does nothing for you when there's no hair surrounding it) but, um, NOPE!! I tried it on my daughter, but I'll wait until next winter before we'll know if it's staying here or not, she was in a pout when I put it on her so I don't know if she likes it or not.

This is my daughter being a Turtle. Who needs a hat with that outfit?! Can you say 'flexible'?
Good times.

Did I Ever?

Show you this?

I think I may have...

I made a wrist warmer based on the Yarn Harlot's 'Pretty Thing'. I sent her a photo. She liked it. That made me happy.
The only disappointment of the whole thing is the yarn I used wasn't able to make the cowl and two wrist warmers...so the other hand goes in your pocket I guess.

My Jack Bauer 24 KAL on Ravelry project didn't work out...the sock was going to be too big and after reading Glenna C's posts about Jaywalkers...I changed my mind and ripped it out. It's still waiting for me to cast on again.

I still haven't finished my Olympic sweater, but have started a couple of other smaller projects. I think I will try to post more pictures of Works In Progress and not try to be so much the 'blog writer' blogger and concentrate more on the 'poster of knitting projects' blogger.

And we'll see how that works out. Sigh.

By the way....HAPPY EASTER!!!

Isn't it a beautiful weekend?????!!!!!!! Sunny and Warm: a new phenomenon here in Ontario.

Four Years and Many Knitting Projects Ago...

...I was finishing up my Olympic Knitting. I had completed my cabled sweater, had my photo shoot and proudly wore it to many post Olympic Celebrations.
There was no question in my mind that this time around I would indeed compete AND complete the challenge I signed on for.

I prepared, as I said I would:

I dealt with and overcame equipment malfunctions (as any true Olympian would):

I patiently waited until the opening ceremonies to officially cast on, because that's what the rules stated.

There was a bit of a restart that first weekend...see the wine glass? Not the only one enjoyed at the ceremony...just sayin'.
I devoted as much time, in all conditions possible, to the completion of my task, and I'm very pleased with my results...

So Far.

I will be awarding myself a DNF for this round of Olympics.

I'm somewhat disappointed, you know like the Canadian Women's Curling team, but while I didn't actually complete my sweater (almost two sleeves and a back did get done, however) I do have a design on paper. I've made changes to my design based on how the knitting looked while being worked up. (I wish that "The Yarn Whisperer" wasn't already taken...although I just went to find a link and while there seems to be a number of Yarn Whisperers, none of them seem especially current. Hmmmm....)

And most importantly, my family and my sanity are still intact.

Maybe next time.

It's Friday...again! And now it's Wednesday!

Hello there Fan's of Friday!! I've just named anybody who reads this a Fan of Friday, well, because it's Friday and really, who doesn't love Fridays? After the child commuting part of it is over anyway.

So, when last I wrote, I had shown you the quilt I had started. Here's a pic of the next stage in assembly, as it happened:

My mom taught me the just keep sewing the pieces together as you go. I thought it was the coolest thing when I saw her doing it. I was probably about 12 or 13 and I didn't know that you could run the machine without fabric in it to sew! I remember her at her sewing machine working away at making quilts for a shop in Hamilton's Hess Village. I've found that I feel close to her when I'm sewing and I can only ever hope to be as talented as she was. Quite honestly, though, I'm not even trying to be as good as her, I just enjoy spending the time sewing and feeling her presence.

Quilt making, at least piece quilt making, is very much like an assembly line...or maybe it would be better to say that, this quilt, that I'm making, right now...is very much like an assembly line project. Now, because I'm a numbers and pattern kind of person, and also somebody who likes to take notice of how things work out the way they do, even without our manipulation; I found it quite interesting that I chose to divide my assembly line tasks into groups of three. I was working with 192 triangles and so it worked out that I put 63 triangles together 3 times. '63 triangles' does not sound like a typical way to organize your work; let me back track here. I did not do any math prior to beginning the assembly process of said triangles. That's just how many I pieced and then I went for some more and then the third time around they were all put together! Do you know how that was decided? Do you know how funny it felt to sit back and realize that it just worked out? It was decided...

...by the number of pins I have! I just started pinning and when I was done it turns out that the universe gave me just enough pins to work my groupings 3 times...and I do enjoy it so much when things work out evenly!

(ring, ring...I have to get that, it's my dear friend C and I'm not going to miss a chance to talk with her!)

Wednesday Feb. 10

This is what happens when the phone rings and your kids come home from school and then the weekend and then, and then, and then...I have to admit though, with the amount of kudos I was giving to the Universe there on Friday and then to have not been able to get back to this until now...I'm wondering if I was supposed to post this post?

I'll take my chances and see how it goes....

So, to continue, I was all keen on posting this blog entry (last Friday), because I had just spent the last two days reading a new magazine (among a few other treasures) that I picked up on Wednesday while I was waiting for my son to finish his drum lesson. Artful Blogging is a wonderful magazine! I had thought that I would only kind of leaf through it and then pass it on; I don't see that happening. First off, I read every single word in there front to back! I enjoyed all of the photos and was inspired by some of the ideas. One of them, which I'll have to try for maybe next week, is "Most Favourite Photo Mondays!" A blogger, and I'm sorry I'm not getting the link to you (not now, anyway) posts whatever picture strikes her fancy on a Monday. Old, new, light, dark, whatever calls to you on that Monday, no topic, don't worry about how you want to tie the picture into a story, just post a picture that makes you happy;

I LOVE IT!!!

So, yeah, I picked up some books.

And I had an idea!

My parents always laughed at how my 3 year old son would come up with "an idea!"

It's not quite a new idea, but I'm still feeling pretty clever about it!

A few years ago, and I believe I've written about this before, I loosely set a schedule for myself, so that I might at least accomplish some part of the various disciplines that I had hoped to someday complete. ie. I've collected fabric, yarn and various needlecraft kits and and instead of getting overwhelmed (HA!!) I thought if I just set aside certain days for certain crafts then I might actually get something completed.

In theory, this should work:

Monday: Knitting

Tuesday: Knitting

Wednesday: Sewing

Thursday: Knitting

Friday: Finishing...whatever might be at the 'finishing' stage, could be hand sewing or it could be sweater blocking

Saturday: Sock Knitting

Sunday: Cross Stitch or other embroidery type projects.

I have more knitting projects on the go than anything else...so four days devoted to knitting, WHEN TIME PERMITS IS THE UNDERLYING PREMISE TO ALL OF THIS, makes sense. I stuck to it for a little while and did actually complete some things...anyone remember 'waste canvas'?

See that 'HA', up there? Right after the word 'overwhelmed'? Yeah, well all the planning in the world doesn't help when you hit the end of your rope and then, well, it's everyman, woman or knitting, quilting project for themselves!

It's my schedule and I don't have to follow it if I don't want to! Yes, maturity did not make an appearance in my schedule...so maybe a 'suggested list' would be a better description.

So here we are in 2010, yes, it's already a month and a bit into it, but stay with me...

In my "Suggested List of a Schedule" I've allotted Fridays for Finishing.

How about we make 2010, The year of the F.O.?! (Just to clarify, F.O.=Finished Objects)

That's Right! "Let's Make 2 Oh 1 Oh, the Year of the F.O.!"

Does starting a group on Ravelry sound like a good idea? We could maybe come up with a point system...you know, so that there is real incentive to address that second sock syndrome!

For those of us signed up for the Knitting Olympics? Well, that's one project in February taken care of! You see, one of the beautiful things about this idea...is it doesn't matter how many projects that you cast on, how much stash enhancement happens...I'm not talking about a yarn diet here, just a fun little attempt to use this year to inspire those of us who have a eensy-weensy problem committing to a project through to the end...to tally up the F.O.'s

Let me know what you think? These are the F.O.'s that came off my needles this past Friday! I started the Brown sock in 2006...yay me! The knitted squares are for a charity project that's been in the works for a couple of years too, but this year will definitely be the year that it finds its home.

Sock It To Me!!

A.K.A. Thursday Night is Cast Off Knitting Night!

My friend E is getting quite clever at coming up with some fun knitting related gems/play on words etc., among all the other clever things she does.
So, yes, last week it was decided that this week we would once again look at the wonder that is sock knitting. Our group has given it a shot a few times and those that like it, still do it; those that don't, well, not so much. Tonight, however a proposal has been put forth that anyone wishing to work on a sock can...bring in that UFO and have one of us tell you where you are exactly in the pattern, try again using 2 circular needles instead of the dreaded DPN's, determine what size needle will best suit your chosen yarn...and no sock yarn is not a valid excuse...we've got that covered too. Who said stash is just yarn taking up space? Oh wait, that would be like a thousand and a half (make that a bazillion and a half---there are a lot of knitters in this world) husbands out there.
We've even planned something for the seasoned sock knitters, and that is to learn how to do Three Needle Grafting. No more excuses for not knowing how to or not liking to graft; no more using the standard Three Needle Bind Off and leaving a seam inside your toe! (shudder) No, tonight we will all learn something new and wonderful! Yes, in my world learning a new way to finish off a sock is wonderful. I really am pretty easy to please.
But first, a wholesome and complete breakfast...
Do you like the hat thrown in for colour, texture and pure knitting content? How much do food stylists make?
I first heard about these Steel Cut oats, again from my knitting group, but was hesitant to try them, well, because it's oatmeal. Luckily, however I was able to spend some time with a dear friend of mine who had a batch on the stove and I decided to be a big girl and try it.
IT WAS GOOD!!! WHO'D OF THOUGHT IT?
Now, I've kind of worked out my own system here. I make a full batch of the oatmeal (and I bought that kind because I liked the can---it's what I do) and a full batch of Bob's Red Mill Apple Grains. They require different cooking times; so I cook them separately and then combine them, put them in a container in the fridge and take out as much as I want when I want and reheat it in the microwave. Add a little brown sugar, milk (and blueberries for the photo shoot) and you've got a wonderfully 'feel good about yourself' kind of breakfast.

In preparation for tonight's workshop I've been committed to getting some knitting done. Here are not one, but two socks that will be ready for tonight's lesson. As you can see, I don't mind the dreaded DPN's.

Yea, so they don't match.

I can make another pair just like it later, and nooo, I'm not going to count how many socks I have on the go; nor am I going to count sock yarn stash.

Sock yarn stash....doesn't count; everybody knows that.

Let's Catch Up, Shall We?

First off here's a little something I like to call, "Spend a Day in My Shoes". This is what I managed to knit while watching 5 hours of 24. Really it's only 4 hours of knitting because I had to rip out after the first hour and start again. I'm likin' it!

I'm having a lot of fun on this knit-a-long on Ravelry. The comments and jokes from the other 24 fans are a riot!

Last Friday was a lovely sunny day here in Ontario and when you get a sunny day around here, you say good-bye to laundry and hello to road trip! My husband had to tie up a few loose ends up north and invited me to go along...laundry or yarn shop? Oh, yea!
Lynn at the Purple Sock in Coldwater has a quaint little shop. It has yarn, fibre and a myriad of teas! She offers sit and knit times, sit and spin times...and there's something else too, but I don't live close enough to keep track of everything there. I do like to support any and all yarn shops and brought home these little treasures.

I haven't tried knitting with wire yet, but hey, what's one more obsession among friends?

Saturday found the four of us joining a big group of friends in a day of Curling. None of us have ever curled before, but it sounded like a neat way to spend the day. Really, at this point in my life, if I haven't tried something (that's at least relatively legal) then I'm gonna give it a shot. I'm Canadian, I should give Curling a shot.
O.K. so I went, I tried, I fell on my bum. I got up again, tried again, fell on my chest. I got up again, walked into the lounge and knit. Now, that's a Canadian Sport that I'm good at!

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!
Sunday found my son and I huddled in the basement most of the day.

His class was given an art assignment to crochet a hat. He tried. It was painful; not only to his fingers, but to anybody watching him! After much encouragement he finally asked the teacher if he could do something else? He wanted to design and make a drumstick bag. (Not a Man Purse, a Satchel. Indiana Jones has one.) He didn't like any of the fabric that I had on hand (aka stash) and his father suggested jeans. Three pairs of cut up jeans later (could've done it with two, but he didn't like the button on one pair) he produced this.

I let him run the machine (except for the really heavy seam sewing) and I made him draw, cut and sew by hand...this was his! I'm really pleased with how focused he remained while putting this together, and from what I hear, it was a hit! It folds over and buttons shut; so the back pocket is on the outside and the front pocket is on the inside. Neat, eh? (See? Canadian, eh?)

Hey! I finished something!

It's a lap quilt for my daughter (except for her it's like a whole body quilt and not just her lap); she LOVES it!! She is a sock monkey nut and when I saw this fabric at Evelyn's in Newmarket I knew I wanted to put something together. That was close to a year ago (or maybe even a little more) and for me?! That's freakin' amazing!! There's things I would've done differently, if I was so inclined, but two important things stick with me here.

1) I learned a few more things about quilting, for example, I like to use flannel(ette) for my backing, and apparently that could make my attempt at machine quilting more challenging.

And,

2) IT'S DONE!!!

And since we were talking about WIP's at knitting last week...

I started sewing this quilt.

I cut out the pieces in 2006. I used only fabric that I had on hand. It's the Dreamcatcher Pattern from the quilt shop formerly named Jillybean's Pride in Oakville. I'm calling mine, "The Pink and Green Dream".
I should be knitting.....
Catch ya' later!