I'm So Blue

I'm so blue.

Well, no.  Blue is such a nice colour.  I feel more like gray.  Even worse...black.

Yes. I feel black... and red.  Red cos I'm mad too.

I'm sitting here in my little Ontario house, wallowing in significant amounts of self pity.

I'm SICK.  Really awfully sick.  So sick in fact, that instead of being in Australia, I'm still here in Canada.  I had to re-arrange my entire travel itinerary - it took a long time to sort it all out, and it cost me a lot of money.

Tuesday, 6th Dec:  wake up in the night with a sore throat!  Gasp!  I had a cold a month ago.  I had two cold sores three weeks ago.  I had my flu shot two weeks ago! I thought I was good getting all the nasties out of the way before my trip home.

Wednesday, 7th Dec:  bad sore throat, sinus headache, sneezing, runny nose.  I send forth my army of ONE to buy as many cold/flu drugs as possible.  Make lots of lemon and honey tea.  Eat lots of garlic.

Thursday, 8th Dec:  much of day in bed.  In the evening I had to teach a knitting class, so dragged myself there.  Actually felt better by 8:30pm.

Friday, 9th Dec:  not feeling too bad.  Went to work for the day.

Saturday 10th Dec:  oh dear Lord.  So congested, I could hardly breathe.  Terrible sore throat and massive ear ache.  Go to doctor.  Prognosis:  severe throat and ear infections.  Anti-biotics, ear drops, sleeping tablets, cold and flu tablets, lozengers, and $160 later....

Sunday, 11th Dec:  cancel attendance at Chrissie party.  Much of day in bed.

Monday, 12th Dec:  phone doctor with new symptom - blocked ear.  Should be flying to Australia today....NOT!  Swollen ear drum = no flying.  Bugger and many, many other highly decorative superlatives.  Grounded.

Spend three hours on the phone re-organising trip to Australia.  $500 later.....[ugh].  New pills - antihistamine for swelling ear drum.

Tuesday, 13th Dec:  much of day in bed.  Sore throat gone.  Replaced with a nose blow per tissue!  Not to mention two new cold sores!  Will this nightmare ever end?

Wednesday, 14th Dec:  due to fly out of London at 3:40pm.  Hope I'm feeling better.....

Recognise my symptoms.  Commit them to memory.  This is a nasty little virus affecting many, many people in the community.

Now - back to my wallowing.........

Window Pain

Yes, I know that's not how you spell it!  But in all fairness, our house windows were built the year the wheel was invented.  Well, OK.  Maybe I'm exaggerating a little.  But they were the original windows from our 1959 house.

Maybe in 1959 our windows were top of the line....nah.  I don't think so.  They were horrible double glass windows, that took fingers of steel to open and close.  Whenever the wind blew, or it rained, they rattled and leaked.  In fact, three of the windows were held together with hockey tape!  Yes, they were a pain!

Oh how I will miss those window pains!

Last week we had new windows installed throughout the house.

Hmm....  I'm terrible at grammar.  I never learned grammar at school, and Im really disappointed about it.

Maybe that sentence above should read:

"We had new windows installed throughout the whole house last week"; or
"Last week we installed new windows throughout the whole house".

[Groan]....why is grammar so hard...!

The new windows are awesome.  No rattling.  No leaking.  They slide beautifully.  They lock easily.  I can see through them!  Oh, how I love my new panes.  Here are some before and after pics:

Old dining room window

New dining room window

Old lounge room window (interior)

New lounge room window

Old lounge room window (exterior)

New lounge room window

Old office window

New office window

My husband is a pain too, but he's not see-through :-)

Katia Triana Lux

I've been resisting funky novelty yarn for.....oh, as long as I can remember.

It's just "not me".

But now that I work one day a week at Cotton-by-Post (north London yarn shop), I walk past the Katia shelf umpty times a day.  And I fondle the scarf that hangs there just as often!  It's a magic scarf - and like a siren's song it lures me close to touch it.

Last week, I broke down and bought three balls of the stuff.  The scarf pattern is free with the yarn purchase.  I decided (a) I should know how to knit it since customers ask, and (b) that my three nieces (aged 6, 7, and 8) should each have one for Christmas.

I'd heard that the scarf was a "quick knit", and after the initial clumsiness and learning curve, it really was!  I figure I could easily knit one in two hours!  Yes.  Two hours!

So I made a little tutorial for how this yarn knits up into a scarf.  The photos aren't brilliant, but I hope you get the idea.

Katia Triana Lux; 100g; 30m (33yd);
95% acrylic, 5% polyester; cold gentle machine wash,
no dryer; no iron;  $13.99

All you need is one ball of yarn per scarf and 7-8mm needles.  I tried different needles, and the one I found easiest to use was my 8mm 16" bamboo circular.  The addi turbo was too slick and slippery for the yarn.  The 7.5mm Aero needles were simply too long and awkward.

16" 8mm bamboo circular needle, and
Katia Triana Lux (colour #33 - lilac and purple with gold flecks)

The next step is to spread the yarn out and to figure out which end is the thinner one and which is the thicker.

Thin end at top; thick end at bottom

Now for the cast on.  Weave your needle into 8 of the top holes from back to front (this is important so you don't twist the stitches).

Weave 8 stitches onto the needle from
back to front (don't worry about the edges)

This next step is a little awkward, but I found that if I held my mouth in just the right way, I could manage it!  Once the 8 stitches are on the needle, turn your work in readiness to knit.  Insert the needle into the first stitch.

Insert needle into first stitch

With your left or right hand (depending on which hand you hold the yarn in), spread out the yarn a little and look for the thin open loop at the top - the next one in line is the one you need.  Yes, it feels clumsy at first, but you'll get the hang of it.  Now knit the stitch as normal.

Put the loop onto the needle and pull it through as if to knit

Knit all 8 stitches.  This gets easier and faster the more you do it.  I also found that the heavier the scarf became (= the more of it I knit and had on my needles), the easier it was to handle).

First row completed

The whole scarf is knit in garter stitch (knit every stitch on every row).

Now if you never listen to anything I ever write, please listen to this.  Whenever you put this scarf down to go off and do something else, please, please, please, don't do as I did.  Put point protectors on both ends of the needle!

Read that last sentence again OUT LOUD.  Twice I put this rotten lovely scarf down, and twice the stitches somehow fell off.  The first time, the ladder ran all the way to the start!  Ugh!  The second time, I was able to rescue the stitches, but lost about 18in worth of knitting.  Ugh!

Point protectors prevent the stitches coming off the needle

When you get to the end of the ball - well, within 20ins or so - cast off in the usual manner.  Easy peasy!

And a final few thoughts.  The yarn twists around as you knit, so frequently, you have to stop, put the knitting down (don't forget the needle point protectors!) and untwist the yarn.  It's a little irritating, but since the project moves along so quickly, it's no biggie.

I actually enjoyed the knit.  A photo of the first of my three scarves is below.  I'm certain Emily will love it!

Emily's scarf.  I used Katia Triana Lux
(colour #32 -burgundy and cherry with gold flecks)

EDIT:  I just finished the second scarf for Jaycee.  It only took me 1.5 hours!  Sweet.  Great for an emergency gift!

Jaycee's scarf.  I used Katia Trinia Lux
(colour #33 - lilac and purple with gold flecks)

Better to Be Born Lucky Than Rich

How often have I heard this idiom.  I've even used it on occasion.  But when I'm saying it, it`s because good things happen to good people.

In truth, I don't believe in "luck".  I know I'm never going to be rich (monetarily speaking), and as for luck....the odds are 50/50.

What I do believe is that "lucky" people, (not those who gamble and win), work hard, persevere, use good judgement, are committed, and meet opportunities head on.  You know..."feel the fear, and do it anyway".  In fact, I would go as far as to say that many successful people create their own opportunities.  There is no luck involved.  Preparation meets opportunity!

Why am I babbling on in this way?  Because I have an exciting announcement!

I am now a part-time employee (just for the winter) at Cotton-by-Post.

I will be working at the store in the yarn department from 10am to 5pm on Fridays during winter.  I will also be there on Friday nights from 5pm to 9pm for Friday Night Knitting.

Some Friday night knitters (Suzanne, Helen, Laurie, Reina
and Alicia)

I`m really quite excited about the new job.  Now I can check another dream off my list!

And, in a related matter, on Sunday I was invited by Suzanne and Garnet (Cotton-by-Post owners) to accompany them to the Diamond Yarn Open House in Toronto!

Diamond Yarn, established in 1963, is the largest importer and wholesale distributor of hand knitting yarn in Canada with warehouses in both Toronto and Montreal.

WHOA!  You guys think Romni Wools is the `mother ship`....it`s like a scout ship compared to Diamond Yarn.  But of course, Diamond Yarn is only open to wholesalers, not the general public.

Bloody lucky, aren't I?  [laughing out loud!]

Cable Swatching

You might remember my post yesterday (can be found here) where I wrote that I was swatching a cable pattern for the Rustic Jacket waist band.

In that post, I stated that after much deliberation (in my cold-induced drugged out state) that I had settled on a viking cable from an Elsebeth Lavold sweater pattern.  Well, after I knit the swatch and blocked it, I wasn't in love with it.  Moreover, it was about an inch too wide.

So I knit two more swatches; one in error because it seems that when I'm sick, my knitting brain goes on hiatus too!

Below is a photo of the cable pattern I have chosen.

Alice Starmore; Interlaced Braid Cable

At present I'm knitting the bottom half of Issara (a bulky weight coat).  The bottom portion is all stockinette and rather boring.

So now, I can alternate between the two projects!

PS.  Still sick, but feeling a little better :-)

Miserable Sod

That's me.  I'm trying to stay focused and positive, but the common cold has a stranglehold that's pushing me to the brink of defeat.  Sigh.  Cough, cough!

It's germ season again, and with the onset of the cooler weather and so much rain, germs are rampant.  I don't normally succumb to a cold at this time of year.  However, thinking back to the last few weeks of limited business at The Bloomin Bog, I would guesstimate that 75% of customers entered the shop with one kind of bug or another.  One guy was coughing so badly, I swear he was hacking up a lung!  And now I'M sick.

So here I sit, forlorn and stuffed up.  However, all is not forsaken!  This morning has been productive in a knitterly way.  Last week, I signed up for a KAL (knit-a-long) for Recipe for a Rustic Jacket by Mona NicLeoid.

Recipe for a Rustic Jacket by Mona NicLeoid

See the cable around the waist?  Well, every knitter gets to search out the cable pattern she/he wants to knit for the waist band.  After several hours of research last night, I narrowed my choices down to just two patterns.

This morning, following what I am going to call "sleep" [ha, ha], I decided on a beautiful viking cable by Elsebeth Lavold in her Sigrun jacket pattern.

To hell with work today!  I'm sick.  I'm gonna sit on the couch, cough and sniffle as required, swallow the drugs with reckless abandon, and start swatching my viking cable.  Pics tomorrow!

Happy Halloween

Here's wishing you all a very ghoulish and happy Halloween!

My pumpkin carving efforts from last year!

On another note, we have a winner in the quest for a bulky knit coat pattern!

Drum roll and three cheers for...........

ISSARA by Anne Kuo Lukito

Yes, it's rather uncanny that the name of this coat is similar to my name!  Huh!  It must be good!  LOL.

Issara by Anne Kuo Lukito

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

I'm an optimist, so let's start with the GOOD.

Yesterday morning I finished the Heather Hoodie Vest I was working on.  I'm delighted with the end result.

Pumpkin Pie Hooded Vest
Headwater Wool (Daina)

6 skeins = 984yds (899m)

And now for the BAD.

Remember the wonderful Briar Rose "Robusta" yarn that was hand dyed for me in the "chocolate swirls" colourway?  That yarn was for Harwood by Sarah Hutton.  I've been frothing at the bit to knit this coat.  So, yesterday afternoon I spent hours researching the project, making notes, charting the complex cable patterns (it's annoying when patterns aren't charted) and knitting the swatch.

Last night I cast on the back.  I knit about 5 inches before I took the time to really look at it.  Oh, so disappointing.  If I strained to see, I could just make out the beautiful cables!  How frustrating.  Maybe in the daylight it would look better.......

No.  It did not.

So I ripped it back.  Now I`m on a new coat quest to find a pattern suitable for this wonderful yarn.

And lastly, the UGLY.  Totally unrelated to knitting actually.  I`d been having issues with blogger since I updated it.  Today I spent the whole morning removing gadgets, trying new templates, changing the formatting and styles, and still my blog kept crashing.  There was nothing for it but to update to the new look blogger, and upgrade to GOOGLE CHROME.

I must say that Google Chrome is super fast, and so far so good.  Having successfully wasted two hours sorting out the blog and IE, I`m now returning to my coat quest.

A Few of my Favourite Things....and one NOT

The weather forcast for London, Ontario today is:

Cloudy, with a 40 percent chance of showers after lunch.  High plus 5C.
Mainly cloudy tonight, with a 40 percent chance of showers this evening and after midnight.  Clearing overnight.  Low minus 4.

So, autumn is here, and that's that!

For the most part, I love fall.  And during this cooler weather, I enjoy most of my favourite things:

Knitting!

Chocolate!

Baking meat pies!

Fighting for my spot by the woodstove!

And autumn maple leaves

Amidst all this splendour, if nothing else other than to add a little balance, I present to you one of my NOT favourite things:

Mis-aligned shoulder seaming

Sigh.  Sigh.  Sigh.  What's worse is that it's my own fault.  Mis-aligned shoulders, how I loathe thee.  I converted this pattern from knitting three pieces, to knitting in one piece.  No biggie right?  Usually, no.  Once I got to the underarms, I separated my knitting.  I knit the two fronts, and all was well.  Then at the last minute, I decided to bind off two stitches at the underarm for a better fit.  I did it on the back on both sides.  What I totally forgot about was that I didn't do it for the front!!  Argh!  Hence the mis-aligned shoulders.

Following a sleepless night, I awoke this morning proclaiming "who bloody cares!".  I'm not ripping back to fix it.  And to that annoying little voice in my head:  SHUT UP!

Woodstock Fleece Festival

I spent a wonderful day today with two friends, Nadine and Colleen, at the Woodstock Fleece Festival.

We had an early morning start and were in the marketplace just after 9am.  It was just the right amount of busy at that time - but two hours later, and it became quite claustrophobic!  I almost had to start swinging my pointy elbows!

I hadn't intended to buy anything (indeed I only took cash for entry, gas and lunch) - but isn't it always the way that when you don't have money you find everything you've been searching for - and when you do have money, you can't find a darn thing?

So I had to break out the credit card....and on more than one occasion!

Just look at the lovely things I got:

This photo isn't brilliant, but I have three gorgeous
skeins of madelinetosh merino light
in "tart", "glazed pecan" and "kale" colourways

This kit is going to become Earth and Sky by Stephen West and will hopefully resemble something like this:

Earth and Sky by Stephen West

Then I spotted the perfect companion yarns for some special Tanis Fiber Arts Yellow Label DK that I picked up from Cotton-by-Post yesterday.

Tanis Fiber Arts Yellow Label DK "lemongrass"

Shelridge Farm DK Soft Touch "natural" and "black" colourways

And whilst browsing the Shelridge Farm festival booth, I happened across the Paradoxical Mittens pattern by Lucy Neatby. 

I'll use one skein of the Tanis Fiber Arts in the "lemongrass" colourway, and the skein of below.

Tanis Fiber Arts Yellow Label DK "teal"

And as if this wasn't enough of a yarn frenzy, then I happened across a beautiful skein of Wellington Fibres yarn that will make a wonderful pair of mittens for my sister for Christmas.

Wellington Fibres 3ply 50% Mohair/50% Wool

And lastly, I saw a magnetized pattern holder that I simply had to have.  This will make my life so much easier when I knit at night.

Magnetized Pattern Holder

Although this next photo has nothing to do with the Woodstock Fleece Festival, it is blog worthy and yarn related.  Cotton-by-Post sells these wonderful hand-crafted yarn bowls.  They are made by Laurie's Mum.  Look how pretty my newest addition is:

Pottery yarn bowl with cat motif

And now?  I'm broke!  But happy!

Lever Knitting

Have you ever heard of "Lever" knitting or "Irish Cottage" knitting?

The Yarn Harlot knits this way.  Below is a YouTube video of her knitting.

Lever knitting is generally used by people who knit for a living.  It incorporates both speed and efficiency.  Lever knitting is considered to be the most ergonomic way to knit, thus enabling knitters to knit up to 10 hours a day without fear of RSI (repetetive strain injury).

The Lever knitting technique tends to result in a more uniform knitted fabric because both purling and knitting require small and similar hand movements.

If you're interested, there's an excellent Lever knitting article by sweetgeorgia.  It's a fascinating read.  And other one by Maven Knits.

In the article by sweetgeorge, mention is made of the Yarn Harlot's workshop:  "Knitting for Speed and Efficiency".  If you haven't already done so, sign up for her workshop on Saturday, 21st January, 2012 at Cotton-by-Post.

Lever knitting is all about how you tension the yarn and how you hold your right hand.  As with most things there are a number of ways you can do it, and what suits one person, may be the archilles heel for another.

Me?  I'm finding it really awkward.  This is quite possibly due to the fact that I'm a continental knitter and hold the yarn in my left hand.  I will however persevere because I'd like to be able to knit with the yarn in either hand.

Yarn Harlot in London, Ontario?

Be still my beating heart!!
I kid you not! This IS happening!

Here's the partial post from the Ravelry group Yarn Harlot Fans:

Are we thrilled to have the Yarn Harlot come to lecture, teach and sign her new book in January 2012?  YOU BET WE ARE!!!

She will be coming to Cotton-by-Post, 21581 Richmond Street North, London, Ontario.
_______________________________

Suzanne and Garnet from Cotton-by-Post (corner Richmond Street and Medway Road) have invited Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (aka Yarn Harlot) to teach two classes on 21st and 22nd January, and to give a seminar and sign her new book (All Wound Up: Yarn Harlot Writes for a Spin) on Friday evening, 20th January.

Her final schedule:
<><> <><> <><>

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (Yarn Harlot)

• Friday 20th January at 7pm:  An Evening with Stephanie ($15.00 + HST)
• Saturday 21st January (all day):  Knitting for Speed and Efficiency (includes a light lunch) ($85.00 + HST) 
• Sunday 22nd January (all day):  Liking Lace (includes a light lunch) ($85.00 + HST)

(6 hour classes with one hour for lunch)

If you register for both workshops, then the Friday evening seminar and book signing is only $5.00 + HST.

How exciting is this?????  WHOOT! WHOOT!

Registration:

www.cotton-by-post.com

Ph:  519-518-6134

In Garnet's own words:

"We really hope to have this event sold out and give everyone a taste of what we
will be doing to bring teachers to London".

Cat Show

Yesterday I had the great fortune to attend the PAWSitive PAWS Cat Club's Cat Show in London, Ontario.  Even the London Free Press picked up the story!

My lovely friend Kat suggested the outing, and it was wonderful indeed.

So many beautiful breeds - each cage we peeked in brought silly-girl squeals of joy from us!

I'll let the photos do the talking:

Maine Coon

Burmese

Devon Rex

Orniamise

Rag Doll

Sphynx

Persian

Himalayan

And then there was this:

It's raining cats and dogs!

My Sandi Pandi with her new toy and cat hammock

My Shelby Belby with his new toys