Vegemite, Chocolate and Knitting

Out with the Old and in with the New

2012-02-01T13:46:00.002-05:00

Closets and cabinets that is, not my husband .... although LOL.

January seemed to be renovation month this year. For a long time now, storage has been an issue in our little hand built 1959 house. Back in those days, I suppose people didn't have much of anything in abundance to store, so homes were often built with almost no closet, cupboard or cabinet space.

The rooms that were given make-overs were the office, master bedroom and guest room. OK, OK.....let's call it what it really is. The guest room shall hence forth be known as the yarn room [tic].

The office and master bedroom shared a common wall and wardrobe. Now the master bedroom has a walk-in closet!

The back of the walk-in closet is one of the walls in the office. The cupboards from the yarn room went into the office for stationery and supplies.

The side of the walk-in closet is the hallway wall, that has now become a photo wall.

And the yarn room has been organised into wall cubes

and a cabinet.

I'm contemplating another row of five cubes in the yarn room. I have to be stash enhancement ready LOL.

Weekend with a Harlot

2012-01-28T14:38:00.000-05:00

A Yarn Harlot that is.....none other than the fabulous Stephanie Pearl-McPhee!

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Profuse apologies for the tardiness of this blog post. Stephanie was invited by Cotton-by-Post to London, Ontario for a book signing and two classes last weekend (20th - 22nd January, 2012). And I'm so slack that I don't get around to blogging about it until today!

WHAT A FABULOUS EVENT!!

I attended all three days. Friday night was the seminar and book signing. I own four of her books and she happily signed them all! Whoot!!

The 6 hour workshops on Saturday and Sunday were intense, exhausting and totally amazing! Saturday's workshop was entitled "Knitting for Speed and Efficiency". Sunday's workshop was entitled "Liking Lace".

I took copious notes at both workshops. Knitting for Speed and Efficiency introduced the class to "lever knitting". I wrote a blog post in October, 2011 about this technique here. I'm doing my best to learn this technique so I can knit comfortably with the yarn tensioned in either my left hand or in my right hand. Lever knitting tensions yarn in the right hand, but since I'm a "picker", I learned to tension yarn in my left hand.

Liking Lace introduced the class to lace; the history, the traditions, the different kinds of lace, determining good and bad lace yarn, and knitting lace. Stephanie even passed around some of her beloved stash for us to pet! She also showed us many of her beautiful shawls.

Now for the photos:

Book signing

Saturday class

Demonstration of Norwegian Purling

THANK YOU SO MUCH STEPHANIE!

I'm So Blue

2011-12-13T18:01:00.002-05:00

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

2011-11-19T12:56:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-16T09:47:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-07T11:25:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-03T14:18:00.000-04:00

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

2011-11-02T11:15:00.000-04:00

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

2011-10-31T10:14:00.001-04:00

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

2011-10-30T13:31:00.000-04:00

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

2011-10-27T10:51:00.000-04:00

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

2011-10-22T18:33:00.002-04:00

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

2011-10-20T18:15:00.000-04:00

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?

2011-10-18T13:35:00.001-04:00

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

2011-10-17T11:41:00.000-04:00

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

A New Look Blog

2011-10-17T09:04:00.001-04:00

Maybe is wasn't necessary to update my blog, but in all honesty, I hadn't given it a new coat of paint since 18th November, 2007! The blog will basically stay the same with only a few modifications.

I removed the word "violets" from my blog title because, truth be told, these days I only own one plant. Yes, African violets were a big part of my life from 2002 to 2007. Unfortunately, the ramant spread of evil, sap sucking super-insects, known as thrips and mealybug, saw the untimely demise of my fabulous collection. I replaced that addiction with an even better one. CHOCOLATE.

Oh Cadbury......how I love thee.

I added new sunshine yellow wallpaper to to my blog to dress up the old drab green paint. I think it's brightened up the whole place!

And lastly, I added a few new gadgets (search, email notifications), and a shiny new blog banner.

Change is good.

A Change is Coming...

2011-10-16T09:09:00.000-04:00

Nothing is more certain in life than death and taxes (Benjamin Franklin) and change (me).

I don't feel like I'm dying just yet, although, like many others, some days death would be easier....

Since I own and operate a small business, I must confess that (and what better place to air my dirty laundry than in public?) I've been having a raunchy, very one-sided and often unexplicable affair with the tax man. I have decided that taxes are designed to keep me poor despite working 12 hours days and 7 days a week.

And then there's change. Not too many of us relish change. I've often been heard uttering such things as "but, I don't want to change", or "it was just fine the way it was". Mind you, some change is good. And the change I'm working on this weekend is to my blog! Ha!

Stay tuned...a change is coming....

Signature Performance

2011-10-12T16:30:00.000-04:00

Last week, during a moment of total disregard for my finances, and in sheer terror, I clicked:

Add to Cart
Check Out (quickly before I change my mind)
Confirm Payment

It was done. No going back. I was soon to be the proud Mummy of a Signature circular needle. Why the terror? Because it cost me $US40! Can you believe it? How frivolous! How wildly reckless! How insane! See what happens when I'm chocolate deprived??

The postman delivered by new circular needle to me today. First impressions: it's so pretty! I wonder whether red really is faster?

I immediately cast on a 20 stitch swatch with some worsted weight yarn.

Six rows of stockinette using addi turbo

Six rows of stockinette using signature

Close-up comparison

Can you see a difference in the knitted fabric?

From my perspective, the addi turbo is smoother and dare I say it....a little faster for me. The signature needle is fast, but the red coloured part is a "matt" finish and there is a slight resistance when knitting. I felt like I was knitting a little tighter with it. Perhaps I should have chosen the "stilhetto tip type"?

Comparing both needles....I like the longer needle length on the signature; it suits my hands and my continental style of knitting. The signature circ has a slightly sharper point which I like for cabling and K2togs. I really like its cable - there's a very smooth transition between the needle and the cable. The cable is also very soft and flexible. The addi turbo has a shorter needle length that sometimes results in my hands aching a little. There's a slight kink between the cable and the needle, and sometimes that requires more effort on my part to move stitches along the cable.

Signature Pros:

Signature circulars let you pick your needle size, the point profile type, needle length to best fit your hand, needle length (overall point-to-point length) with cable, or even choose a custom cable length.

Signature circulars are hand crafted, hand polished, and have an incredibly smooth, flexible and memory resistant cable.

Signature Cons:

The cost. $40 is a very high price for a circular needle.

Final Thoughts:

I'm glad I bought the signature needle in a 4.5mm size with a 32in cable and 8in needle length. It'll get a whole lot of use from it.

However, I would probably not buy a Signature needle again unless they go on sale.

The Fair Was Good To Me (Image Heavy)

2011-10-01T20:05:00.000-04:00

Or was I good to the Fair? Hmm... [laughing]

2011 marked the 160th anniversary of the Ilderton Fall Fair. To my thinking, such a monumental occasion deserved equal monumental input from me! So what did I do? I entered a whopping 20 items in two categories! The "homecraft/knitting" division received 14 knitted items, and the "food department" received six goodies.

This morning Barb and I shuffled through the Ilderton Fair's exhibit buildings expressing the appropriate oohs and aahs. We put on brave faces, but it was very c-c-c-cold! Under the main exhibit building is an ice arena! Brrrrr...

My cold and red hands could barely hold the camera steady to take photos. My hot breath warmed my fingers enough to take the necessary 13 pictures! I won 15 ribbons in total - 9 x 1sts; 5 x 2nds; and 1 x 3rd!! Whoot!

Baby Surprise Jacket - 2nd

Clepsydra Hat & Mitts - 2nd

Dark Mark Illusion Scarf - 1st

Felted Boots - 1st

Felted Aran Mittens - 1st

Sunflower Handtowel Topper - 1st

Ilene Bag - 2nd

Aunty Isa Monkey - 1st

Rayna Booties - 2nd

Seneca - 1st

VBV (Very Best Vest) - 1st

Socks - Vickies - 1st

Xmas Ball - 3rd

I also got a 1st for my Eggs Florentine and a 2nd for my Maple Panne Cotta.

So another Fair bites the dust [big heavy sigh]. Time for a little R&R. I'm pooped.

Gorgeous Autumn Sunday

2011-09-25T11:57:00.000-04:00

It's been a long and busy business season, and now that things are winding down for water gardeners, I get to enjoy a little peace and quiet on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon in autumn.

I have almost all I need. Sunshine. Chair. Knitting. The only thing that would make my afternoon complete.....somebody feeding me chocolate! Oh, wait. And a million dollars! LOL!

Knitting socks (Vickies) for Mum
for Christmas

Farewell Sterly Whirly Fluffster

2011-09-22T15:30:00.000-04:00

It was with very heavy hearts and tear filled eyes that Nick and I took Sterling, our 16 year old Himalayan cat to the vet this morning. He hadn't been eating or drinking for four days, and had withered away to just 4lb. Unfortunately, he had fluid on his lungs, a severe heart murmur, and a very large, and almost certain, cancerous tumour in his right kidney.

We buried him in a memorial garden where my beloved Tallie (dec. 2006) lies. A lovely little concrete cat statue pays homage to his long and happy life.

We will always love you Sterly and you will be missed. RIP.

A tribute to you Sterly:

2 months old

2 years old

2.5 years old

6 years old

9 years old (together with Tallie)

11 years old (together with Shelby)

12 years old

15 years old (together with Shelby and Sandi)

I've Got BIG Plans

2011-09-21T20:49:00.000-04:00

For Fall and Winter knitting that is!

I'm not too sure where the inspiration came from...but I'm guessing a lot of it had to do with two fabulous gift certificates I received early this year - Briar Rose Fibres GC from my family (bless them) for my birthday, and Colorsong Yarns GC from my family (bless them again) for Christmas.

I asked Chris from Briar Rose whether she could custom dye some Robusta for me. Robusta is a highlander, bulky weight wool, with the same twist, loft and feel as Bluefaced Leicester. This yarn comes in massive 500 yds per 16oz skeins!

Chris asked me for a colourway, and I simply said "chocolate swirls". Well, my chocolate swirls came in a big box, and if it hadn't of been yarn, I'd have eaten it!

Chocolate Swirls; Briar Rose Robusta

I have a very special project in mind for this yarn - Harwood by Sarah Hatton from the Rowan Studio 2 book. Harwood is a mid-thigh length, cabled, long-sleeve jacket with pockets and five buttons. Remember the buttons I bought at the Kitchener/Waterloo Knitters' Fair??? Yeah!

It took me a little longer to decide on yarn from Colorsong Yarns. But once I found Killorglin by Carol Feller from the Contemporary Irish Knits book, my choice was much easier. Killorglin is slim-fitting ribbed jacket utilizing interweaving ribs on the front and back to create a sophisticated and complicated-looking jacket. A high collar and zipper closure finish the piece very neatly. It's knit from the top down in one piece, the sleeves are picked up afterwards and set in sleeves are worked using short rows.

My yarn choice for this jacket is Fleece Artist Blue Face Leicester Wool, aran weight. This yarn is 100% Blue Face Leicester Wool; 185m/202.3yds; 125g/4.4oz. Since this jacket is so amazing, I wanted a semi-solid colour that simply screams out "look at me"! I chose Ruby Red!

In addition to these two jackets, I have taken a shine to GreenGable Hoodie by Mari Muinonen/ Tikru which was published in Vogue Knitting Fall 2008. GreenGable Hoodie is a cabled, hooded pullover. I purchased the yarn for this sweater at the recently attended Kitchener/Waterloo Knitting Fair.

Headwater Wool, Bulky

And then I purchased a bag of Galway Heathers worsted yarn from Cotton By Post, with Tinder by Jared Flood in mind. Tinder is fitted and textured jacket with six buttons.

What was I thinking?? Three jackets and one sweater over Fall/Winter! AND in between all that, a trip home to Australia! Whoot!

Yarn Love at The Knitters' Fair

2011-09-11T16:49:00.000-04:00

We'd waited all year, and even counted down the sleeps! Finally the day arrived - the Kitchener/Waterloo Knitters' Fair.

Laurie very kindly agreed to drive again this year, and her carful was rounded out with Barb, Lynn and I.

As in previous years, the fair did not disappoint in terms of vendors, yarn and fibre. The halls were abuzz with frenzied shoppers, shopping bags and yarn and fibre love.

I had a mission this year. I'd done my research and was prepared with two patterns requiring yarn, and a list of accessories. Disappointingly, many of the items on my list were not were not crossed off (stitch markers, addi turbo natura bamboo circs, shawl pin). It's not that these things weren't available at the fair....I just didn't like what was available, or the size I wanted wasn't there.

I was also keen to find some bulky yarn for a cable-rich hoodie that I'd fallen in love with from the Vogue 2008 Fall magazine. There was so much yarn at the fair, but a lot of it was heavily variegated and simply not suitable for cables. Some semi-solid colourways would have worked, but quantity was short......

Finally I found The Needle Gnome, suppliers for Headwater Wool. Their yarn is 100% Romney wool and made in Latvia. The perfect yarn for the hoodie.

Romney Wool; Mustard Seed.

The perfect buttons for a car coat project I'll be starting soon!

Another skein of Black Welsh Mountain Sheep Wool. Now I can make mittens to match the hat from last year.

Some circular needles; though not in the size I required.

Some more fabulous SOAK for my wool washing. And a new foot lotion...it's cucumber and smells yummy!

And to top things off - on Sunday I received a call from a friend to say that she knew a woman who'd been knitting her whole life and wanted to destash entirely! What was I to do, but go over and see what she had! I came home with about 5% of what was there:

100% wool from Norway! This lot is mostly worsted, and only $2 a ball!

Sweet!

London International Quilt Festival - The Quilts of Hawaii

2011-09-08T14:01:00.000-04:00

The London International Quilt Festival is a one week event which takes place every August at the London Convention Centre, 300 York Street, London, Ontario.

The Festival focuses on bringing the culture and history of different countries/regions of the world to London. This is achieved by having, not only quilts and fibre art from the visiting country, but also the artists who create some of the quilts.

Each year the workshops offered reflect the artists' concept of their country in fabrics, embellishments and techniques.

This year the quilt show celebrated "The Quilts of Hawaii". There were over 125 Hawaiian quilts on exhibit. Local quilts and fibre art were on display as well.

My part in this show was to set up and look after the Cotton By Post fibre and yarn booth.

The event was simply amazing. I'll let the photos below tell the story.

Cotton By Post Yarn Booth

Close up of the Fleece Artist and Hand Maiden display

Amazing huh? Next year promises to be even better with the theme being "Canadian"!

What's a Blog?

2011-09-01T20:55:00.000-04:00

And, well you might ask! I'm ashamed to write that it's been almost six months since I've blogged! It's not a lack of material, I assure you. It's a lack of time. My old boss would be so pleased to learn that those "time and task management" seminars I attended so many years ago have really paid off [tic].

Work is my worst enemy...namely The Bloomin Bog. Gotta make hay though while the sun shines!

According to my KnitMeter, I've been productive since 17th March....a total of 4,320 yards of knitting! The list of finished projects is long and boring, so I'll just post a few of the highlights:

Featherwieght Cardigan by Hannah Fettig
Zen Yarn Garden Serenity Lace; Siena

Galaxy Hat by Rose Beck
madelainetosh pashmina; copper

Make up Your Mind by knittedblissJC
Kollage Yarns Luscious; Cherry

Sally Secretary Monkey by Patons
Patons Wool Classic and Cascade 220

Obviously this post is going to get way too long if I delve into my life over the past six months. Dot points are pretty crappy, but it makes me feel better when I read that life wasn't just a blur....

March 27: My mother in law died following 7 weeks of intensive daily care.
April 1: New employees started at The Bloomin Bog.
April 7-10: My sales manager and I worked The Bloomin Bog booth at the London Home and Garden Show.
May: Cool and wet weather made a slow start to our business season. Thankfully by Victoria Day the place was hopping!
June: One of our male employees was roped into learning how to knit! He's doing really well - his first real project is Turn a Square by Jared Flood.
July 1: Canada Day - we went to a bbq and saw some wonderful fireworks.
July 9-10: Customer Appreciation Weekend at The Bloomin Bog.
July 16: I received a phone call from Suzanne at Cotton By Post inviting me to run her yarn booth at the London International Quilt Festival.
July 31: All Bloomin Bog employees finished their work contracts - except for the sales manager. Roxanne worked another two weeks.
August 2: Visit from the Environmental Officer from DNR - we got a smack and a fine for selling bullfrog tadpoles!
August 4: Donated some of my delicious O+ blood to the Canadian Blood Services. I believe that I will convert one Canadian at a time into an Aussie [LOL].
August 8-14: London International Quilt Festival - The Quilts of Hawaii.
August 15: Rescued a beautiful little gray male kitten. I called him "Smokey". I enjoyed his company for a week until Hillside Kennels picked him up for adoption. So sad...
August 16: Notified my family that I will be "coming home" for Christmas this year!

A certain highlight of the year to date was the London International Quilt Festival. What a totally amazing event! I had a blast. Will make this my next post cos there are a lot of photos.

Well that's quite enough from me.....more soon, I promise!

Awww....My Belated Birthday Blog

2011-03-17T18:29:00.000-04:00

Yeah.....normally I'm content for my birthday to slip by quietly like a thief in the night. I'm not one to make a big fuss about ~~getting older~~ growing up :-)

But this year my birthday didn't sneak in at 12am on The Ides of March and out again at 12am on St Patrick's Day. This year my birthday celebrations started a week early with a wonderful package from Toronto! And two days later, another two little packages!

Do you wanna see what was inside the Toronto package?

Ta daaaaaaaa......

ViewSonia ViewPad 10.1" Tablet

This little sweetheart is a dual boot tablet that supports both Windows 7 and the Android operating systems for the best of both worlds. Features include an LED backlit multi-touch screen with a 1024 x 600 resolution, built-in Wi-Fi, battery life of 4-6 hours, 1.3 megapixel camera, two USB ports, G-Sensor and E-Compass, 2W speakers, headphone jack, microphone jack, mini VGA slot, webcam, SD card slot, and 16G HD. Including the battery she weighs just 1.93lb (875g)!

SWEET!

Inside the two smaller packages - wireless router and wireless D-Link USB adapter. Yup, pretty boring...BUT they enable my laptop, desktop and tablet to become wireless and Wi-Fi friendly :-)

Then yesterday, umptyleven messages from well wishers on Facebook, loads of birthday emails, phone calls from family and friends, a wonderful home made lemon bundt cake with chesse frosting, BBQ for lunch, badly needed haircut AND a mini DVD writer for my new ViewPad!

Crikey!

And today, an awesome caramel cheesecake/birthday cake from my friend Roxanne. Our birthdays are a week apart, so on Friday we'll share this calorie punching dairy product of deliciousness :-)

Thank you so much to everyone for making me feel so special on my birthday.

Here's a photo of my bbq'd birthday lunch (yup, that's a mega sized T Bone steak there. It was lunch and dinner)!

And here's a pic of my cake and short hair!

PS. I still don't like birthdays!

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses!

2011-03-11T18:20:00.000-05:00

That's what I'm full of. I've got an excuse for everything. And I'm quite content to lay blame on whoever and whatever gets caught in my peripheral vision. For example:

Why can't I go knitting to Little Red Mitten tonight? ::looks around:: because of the weather!
Why haven't I knit more on my sweater? ::looks around:: because of my nieces socks!
Why don't I have more time to knit now? ::looks around:: because we opened for business again on 1 March!
Why haven't I blogged in a ~~damn long time~~ almost six weeks? ::looks around:: because I'm too busy doing everything else!

So, even though it's not my fault, I'm gonna apologise for not blogging in ages. It's certainly not for lack of blogworthy material!

KNITTING:

I finally got around to making myself some felted clogs. I call these clogs my Travelling Felted Slippers because they live in my knitting bag and I slip them on whenever I visit a knitting store to shop, socialise or knit.

Travelling Felted Slippers

Pattern: Felted Clogs (AC-33) by Bev Galeskas

Yarn: Cascade 220 Wool (Emerald and Dark Green)

Next I knit myself a hat. I call this hat Not Another Square. I used some of my handspun for this hat. It is a great fitting hat and super easy to knit.

Not Another Square

Pattern: Turn A Square by Jared Flood

Yarn: Roving Winds Farm Black Welsh Mountain Sheep Wool (Gray) and Zen Yarn Garden Superwash Merino Roving (purple, pink, black, gray)

My next project was cast on because I was bored and needed something to knit at social knit nights. After much searching and spending endless hours on Ravelry, I settled on a beret. I call this beret Tanis Druidess. The pattern utilizes cables and bobbles and some twisted stitches. I enjoyed knitting this beret - another well fitting hat.

Tanis Druidess

Pattern: Druidess Beret by Anna Bright

Yarn: Tanis Fiber Arts Yellow Label DK Weight (teal)

And because it seems I enjoy making things in threes....I knit a hooded cowl that I call Rogue Chapeau. I didn't want to call this my "red hat"; hence the French. I dyed this yarn using two different acid dyes. I would have liked it a shade deeper, but I'm still really happy with how it turned out.

Rogue Chapeau

Pattern: Through the Woods... by Kalurah

Yarn: Cascade Yarns Ecological Wool (hand dyed)

Phew! That's the finished projects during the last six weeks. Then I have a bunch of projects I cast on during the last few weeks:

Glitter Sox (socks)
Wellington (vest)
22 Starry Leaves (shawlette)
Siena (cardigan)
Mirasol (beret)

AND THEN there's a new beret pattern I downloaded that I want to knit for my Mum for Mother's Day.

In between all of this I've been buying some beautiful yarns too (mostly for the aforementioned projects). Here are a few pics:

Berocco Metallic (Glitter Sox)

Mirasol Hacho (Mirasol Beret)

Madeline Tosh Pashmina (Galaxy Beret)

Zen Yarn Garden Serenity Lace (Siena)

Hmm...there seems to be a coppery/orange/red brick theme going on here!

And yes, there's more, but not today!

VBV

2011-02-04T18:24:00.000-05:00

I'm ticked! Something simple that should have taken minutes wasted hours!

Stupid Tripod.

But I persevered and finally got the better of a frustrating uploading glitch at OzB's Patterns Website. I uploaded my pdf in a different way. So there Tripod!! [sticking out tongue]

I would like to present my newest FO, Very Best Vest (VBV).

I designed this vest with some inspiration from “Hilja”, a vest pattern written by Niina Hakkarainen.

VBV is knit from the bottom up in the round until the V neck and armholes; then it is knit flat. VBV is a snug fitting vest that utilises waist decreasing and bust increasing on the rows between the Fair isle patterns.

The vest will fit a 34-37ins bust. To make the vest smaller, you could go down a needle size. Similarly, to make it bigger, increase the needle size.

Yardage will vary according to gauge. I used about 600 yds of MC and about 120 yds of CC.

So without further ado, VBV:

Now I'm off to knit some on my 22 leaves shawlette by Lankakomero.

I'm also wanting to cast on Through the Woods... by Kalurah, but I have to dye the yarn first!

So, It's Been a While

2011-01-29T20:10:00.000-05:00

It's been a whle, Crocodile... and life marches on regardless of my blogging.

I have been busy, but for the life of me I cannot recall what I've done during the last two weeks!

Certainly there was...knitting!!

I attended a fairisle workshop taught by Joan from the Little Red Mitten in St. Thomas. This workshop was four hours in total, and held on two consecutive Thursday evenings. I went along with my lovely friend Barb. The workshop covered two-handed fairisle knitting, learning to knit continental style (yarn in the right hand) and steeks (cutting your knitting).

The end result was a cowl that was knit in the round with steeks. I then cut the steeks and sewed them under using whip stitch. The closing is a button with an Icord loop.

Fairisle XOX Cowl

Background: Malabrigo Silky Merino DK (teal)

Foreground: Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend (Stellar Night)

Last week I finished knitting a pair of Kitty Selbu mittens designed by Terri Shea. The pattern was gifted to me by my lovely friend, Laurie, who wished to help Terri, and who knew I loved cats.

This traditional Selbu style mitten was inspired by Terri’s cat. Her poor Baby kitty suffered heart failure - at only three years of age! Baby is recovering beautifully, but the vet bills totalled over $2500. These mittens were designed as a charm or prayer, to strengthen Baby and help her to recover.

I owned a beautiful Chocolate Burmilla that I lost to cancer some years ago. The vet bills were exorbitant! So these mittens are a tribute to my beloved “Tallon”.

Burmilla Kitty Selbu Mittens

Background: Schoeller+Stahl Fortissima Socka (cream)

Foreground: Plymouth Yarn Happy Feet (browns)

My MIL celebrated her birthday last week, so I whipped up a cowl for her using the ever faithful and very interesting Labyrinth pattern by Roxanne Wood.

Labyrinth Cowl

Yarn: Fleece Artist Scotian Silk (wine)

I also finished a scarf; the Dark Mark Illusion Scarf by Lindsay Henricks. I had wanted to try "illusion" or "shadow" knitting for some time, and after seeing a scarf project at Little Red Mitten, I knew I wanted to cast one on!

Dark Mark Illusion Scarf

Background: Cascade Yarns 220 Wool (granny smith green)

Foreground: Heaven's Hand Wool Classic (chocolate)

I've also been designing a fair isle vest pattern. I'll have photos and hopefully a pattern by next week!

In other news, I've been spending an inordinate amount of time on Facebook, re-uniting with friends from school that I haven't seen in almost 30!!! years! There's a class reunion being planned for later this year, and I'm hoping to attend.

My MIL has been very sick, so I've been spending an hour or two a day (for the last 9 days) at her house, helping her with cleaning, cooking, looking after her cat, and washing.

Til next week then....unless something totally awesome and blog-worthy happens in between!

A New Favourite Sweater

2011-01-07T17:08:00.001-05:00

Last year on 2nd September (no my memory is not that good - I checked the date on Ravelry) I cast on Seneca, a lovely cabled sweater from the book "Made in Brooklyn", by Jared Flood.

Today I finished it....

Seneca

Seneca is a seamless pullover style sweater with a cabled yoke, and hemline and cuff details. It features round yoke construction with short-row shaping, a sewn bind off, and sideways cable motifs. I knit mine in Cascade 220 Heathers (olive/moss greens).

Initially, I had a little trouble getting gauge on this sweater, but that's because I subbed the yarn called for with the Cascade 220. Although still a worsted weight yarn, my row count was a little short, so I made a mental note of that and added length to the body and sleeves.

This pattern was an easy knit, and the construction was fantastic! Who doesn't love seamless knitting? BUT, as much as I love cabling, and I really, really do, the sideways cable motifs were responsible for quite a few outbursts of profanity! It was really cool knitting the cables sideways, but my poor little fingers didn't like the aggressive increasing required to give the cables a "deep relief" appearance.

I did make a few mods on this one since I wasn't knitting entirely to gauge.

I went down a needle size to 4mm to obtain gauge.
I knit the body in the 36ins size even though I'm about a 37-38ins gal. The next size up was to fit 40ins, and that was just too big.
I tried cabling without a needle, but found it more difficult with this pattern because of the sideways cables and the tightness of the cables themselves. It was just easier to use a cable needle one size smaller than my knitting needles.
Every time I had to M3 from one stitch, and M1 either side of this stitch, I used a 2.5mm cable needle to help knit into the back of the stitches. It was too tight otherwise.
I added 2ins to the length of the body cos I like my sweaters to sit on my hips, not above them.
I knit the sleeves in the 40ins size because on most sweater patterns, the sleeves are just a bit too tight for me. The 40ins size only had two extra stitches anyway.
I knit the sleeves two at a time on one 47ins circular needle.
I added 2ins to the length of the sleeves, and could have possibly added another half inch. Blocking might give me the desired length (I like sleeves to come down about 2ins past my wrist).
When I joined the sleeves and body at the yoke, I had to decrease 4 sts evenly around yoke because the sleeves had two stitches each too many (being the 40ins size). The extra four stitches would have thrown off the cables.
I used Kitchener stitch to join the seams under the arms. The pattern doesn't mention how to do it.

There were a few bits of errata in the pattern, but I figured them out as I went along, and they've all been documented in Ravelry anyway).

As I write, Seneca is blocking and drying. I have a feeling this will be a new favourite sweater! And yes, a few of you did hear me say that I'd probably never knit this one again. Well, I'm going to rescind that statement. The fit was well worth the punctured fingers LOL.

These FOs Fell Through the Cracks

2011-01-03T18:50:00.000-05:00

I knit 24 gifts for Christmas! You heard me....24! That's like one a day from 1st December until Christmas Eve! Yowza!

Due to the blur that WAS Christmas, I didn't blog about quite a few of the gifts, so here are the finished objects that fell through the cracks.

In no particular order:

Viking Surprise Jacket

Pattern: Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmermann

Yarn: Viking Ragg Sport

Kitty Catnip Critters

Pattern: Friendly Little Bugs by Dawn Finney

Yarns: Odds and ends from stash

Amazing Labyrinth Cowls

Pattern: I adapted the pattern from Labyrinth Duo by Roxanne Wood

Yarns: Cascade Eco Wool & Aslan Trends Royal Alpaca

MIL Felted Clogs

Pattern: Felted Clogs AC-33 by Fibre Trends

Yarns: Cascade 220 & Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted

Canadian Trooper Helmet Liner (for troops in Afghanistan)

Pattern: Helmet Liners by Knit 'n Style

Yarn: Brown Sheep Nature Spun Worsted

Amazing Labyrinth Duo

Pattern: Labyrinth Duo by Roxanne Wood

Yarn: Knit Picks Bare 100% Merino (I dyed the yarn)

Sandi Pandi Neck Warmer

Pattern: Sandi Pandi Neck Warmer by Isa Webb

Yarn: Sandi Pandi Smooch Pooch (Yarnmarket)

At the moment I'm working on finishing Seneca by Jared Flood. This sweater was put on the back burner since September when I started knitting for the Ilderton Fall Fair. I'm almost finished it!! Hopefully just a few more nights and I'll be done.

I'm also working on the Dark Mark Illusion Scarf by Lindsay Henricks. This is a fairly mindless knit, but it too has been on the back burner while I'm finishing Seneca.

Ta daaaaaaaaa!

January is ...

2011-01-02T16:45:00.000-05:00

MITTEN MONTH! And mitten month means it's time to join Ravelry's annual NaKniMitMo11 Knit Along (KAL).

Last year I knit three pairs of mittens for the KAL: Swedish Fish by Spillyjane, NHM #7 by Terri Shea and Aran Felted Mittens by Shirl the Purl.

Today I signed up for the NaKniMitMo11. It began on 1st January and will conclude on 31st January. Members simply knit as many pairs of mittens as they want during the month of January.

Why mittens? Well, January is one of the coldest months of the year and mittens are much warmer than gloves. They are relatively quick to knit, and you can be brave in color choices. You can try out different techniques like stranded colorwork, cables, etc. There are almost 3,000 mitten patterns on Ravelry. You always have enough yarn in stash for mittens. See, a lot of good reasons!

Pictures of finished mittens will be on display in the NaKniMitMo Flickr Group.

I had absolutely no idea which mittens to cast on until today! This afternoon I received an email from my fabulous friend LaurieM. Laurie bought me a knitting pattern - Kitty Selbu from Terri Shea Designs!!! Terri Shea!! How does she know I love her designs? How does she know these things?? When Laurie read the story behind this pattern, she couldn’t but want to help, and thought I might enjoy both the pattern and the story. Isn't she simply wonderful??

So here is the story behind the Kitty Selbu mittens, as written by Terri Shea:

"This traditional Selbu style mitten was inspired by my cat. Not uncommon, right? We all knit for our cats? Poor Baby kitty was wasting away, panting, and just plain failing. A trip to the vet uncovered heart failure - at only three years of age! She received excellent care, and is recovering beautifully, but the bills total led over $2500, plus her five daily medications. I love my cat, and I hope you love your pet enough to have some sympathy, and buy a pattern. Knit mitt tens for the cat lovers in your life.

Sebum knitting uses designs and motifs with specific meaning. I designed this mitten as a charm or prayer, to strengthen Baby kitty and help her to recover. They feature extra long cuffs. I modified the traditional water pattern, to turn it into a heart beat, and if you prefer shorter cuffs, this motif can be omitted. The parade of dancing kitties around the cuff should be self explanatory. The rosette of hearts on the hand back strengthen Baby’s heart, and proclaim my love for her. The life-giving properties of the hearts are strengthened by the budding branches between each heart. Tiny life-symbolizing pomegranates fill in the spaces between rosettes. The thumb repeats a cat, a heart, and a pomegranate.".

What a touching story. No wonder Laurie wanted to help. Terri's story brought a flood of memories back to me about my own darling, my sweet, my wonderful little Tallie. Tallie was a burmilla; the same breed as Sandi Pandi, but chocolate brown. He died of cancer at the age of 6 almost five years ago - a congenital condition that worsened the older he got. He and I were very close. I suspect it was because he was constantly sick and requiring my attention and love all day. He was in intensive care at an animal hospital, and as organs failed, and one operation lead to another, the final vet bills totalled over $6,000! And the worst part was, I had no cat to show for it....

So as I knit these mittens, I pray that each loving stitch gives a little more strength to Baby kitty, and that her road to recovery is swift!

GOD BLESS YOU LAURIE!

Goodbye to 2010

2010-12-31T21:04:00.000-05:00

And so another year draws to a close. Don't you find that each year seems to go by faster and faster?

New Year's Eve always finds me kicking back and thinking about the year behind me and what I achieved. In all honesty, 2010 was fraght with difficulty, and I'm finding it hard to remember the positive things. All I can say with one exhausting sigh, is that although I have the odd battle wound, I've survived another one!

Tonight I'll be bringing in the New Year with the TV, fire place blazing at a more than pleasant 26C, and with a drink in one hand and my knitting in the other!

I've already phoned all my family in Australia to wish them a happy New Year. It's now 12:30pm on 1st January in New South Wales.

So I'm gonna end this year's blog with some photos from the last week or so.

Emily's lovely Christmas card for me

The pavlova I made for Christmas dinner on 24th December

Christmas dinner on 25th December

These are the most amazing scones!! I made these over the Christmas break. So simple!

Never Fail Scone Recipe:

There are three ingredients ONLY! Can you believe it?? To make 12 scones:

1/2 cup of Sprite or 7 Up
1/2 cup of cream
2 cups of sifted SR flour

Place sifted flour into a bowl, and make a well in the centre. Pour in cream and Sprite/7 Up. Mix lightly with a fork. Tip out on a floured board and press to 2cm thickness. Cut quickly with a round cutter and place together on a greased tray. Bake at 220C for 15mins.

The Boxing Week Sales were so tempting! I have had my eye on an automatic bread machine for quite a while, and with the great sales on after Christmas I bought one! So of course I've been making bread...and it tastes sooooo good! Except my first loaf....that was an abomination LOL.

Cheese and herb bread from my bread machine

Sandi Pandi Neck Warmer

Nick's 8 month old great nephew, Hunter

I WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY, SAFE AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR!!

Fabulous Felines 2011 Calendar from Yarnmarket

2010-12-20T13:21:00.000-05:00

AND yes, it's gone straight to Sandi Pandi's head!

It's official! Sandi Pandi Smooch Pooch has been immortalized in a calendar! She, along with twelve other fabulous felines, is now in print.

The Fabulous Felines Calendar has just been launched and is on sale at Yarnmarket for ONLY $8.50. All profits will be donated to Mary's Kitty Korner, a rescue organization in Pleasant Valley, CT because that's where Rajah (Mr April) was adopted from.

PLEASE SUPPORT THIS CAUSE IF YOU CAN!

Sandi Pandi Smooch Pooch is Miss July! So appropriate since she is Canadian and Canada Day is on 1st July!

(this is not the picture in the calendar!)

Many thanks to Deborah Knight from Yarnmarket for putting this together!

My "Everything" Post

2010-12-19T12:52:00.000-05:00

That's right... my brain hurts, my fingers are still numb from last night, and I want to go back to bed!! I'm just getting too old to be ~~drinking and~~ out til 2:30am!

So, I've rolled "everything" up into one jumbled post....just because I can.....and in case you haven't heard....~~the bird is the word~~.... I'm a mean Aussie [laughing].

I'll start with my my Kitty Catnip Critters. The original pattern is Friendly Little Bugs, by Dawn Finney. It's a very easy pattern that knits up in no time at all - an hour or so tops. And it's great for using up little bits of left over yarn (5-10g). You can use any weight yarn and needles. Since I was filling mine with polyfill and catnip for Sandi, Shelby, Sterly and Gin Gin, I used worsted weight yarn and 3mm needles so they'd last longer [hehehe].

Kitty Catnip Critters

Oooooh, yes. I got a couple of photos of my friend Kanna's baby wearing his little knitted outfit. So cute! I knit this for him when he was born in October. The pattern is: Cable Cardigan and Hat SRK 164 by Sandi Prosser, and the yarn is S.R. Kertzer Angel Baby. He's big enough now to wear it. It's wonderful to see recipients wearing knitted gifts. I often wonder how many gifts are worn and how many are shoved into a deep, dark drawer!

Cable Cardigan and Hat

And last night I went to an "Evening of Murder"! This, of course, ties in with my opening paragraph! I'd never participated in a murder/mystery before and didn't have any idea what to expect. All I knew was that I needed a costume. My character was "Cookie Daniels" and my costume suggestion was: tight, revealing dress, black nylons, high heels, long blonde wig, strong perfume, makeup and large diamond ring.

So after a couple of hours between Goodwill and the Dollar Store, I had almost everything I needed. The wig was the one big hurdle, but thanks to Erinkate's brilliance and means of transport, I found a perfect wig at a party store in north London.

Cookie Daniels (not a great pic, but you get the idea!)

Our evening of murder began as follows: Our friend and fellow gambler, Chuck Mavery, had been murdered. I was a suspect, along with seven others, including my billionaire fiance, Nick Lucopoulos. I was there in Las Vegas gambling at Wizard's Casino when this dastardly deed was committed.

We all had scripts to follow, and as the investigation unfolded, we all found it harder and harder to read our scripts! Damn that barman! In the end, the murder was solved, the winner receiving a wonderfully inscribed trophy, and poor little Cookie Daniels was hauled off to her jail cell, kicking and screaming!

It was a totally fun night! Can't wait for next year's!

Can I go back to bed now??

Colour Knitting

2010-12-14T19:03:00.000-05:00

I designed a new stranded hat pattern. On paper it looked brilliant. But, there was one teensy design complication ... the colourwork section required me to have three colours per row! Unfortunately, (or fortunately if you like to research and learn), I could not change the number of colours in the pattern. For those of you familiar with colourwork, I'm sure you can see the dilemma!

But, I'll explain anyway :-)

When I think about ircorporating colour into my knitting, I consider using intarsia, stranded, fairisle or slip stitch techniques. Using any of these methods, I can easily knit two colours per row. Being a continental knitter, I simply hold both strands of yarn in my left hand.

But what happens when I want to incorporate a third colour into a row? I just couldn't figure out how to carry and weave the yarn in at the back with three strands. What I could imagine was a big tangle and a lot of cursing!

So, I put down my test knitting and started my research. It took a lot of reading and googling, but finally I found the answer.

Thank you to the brilliance of TechKnitter (TM), a support blog for knittters! There is a trick to knitting three colours or more in the same row. You simply combine stranded work with slip stitch work! Huh! So clever! TechKnitter does a fantastic job of explaining it here.

I returned to my test knitting, and put the theory into practice. I grant you, it's a little fiddley, and you have to concentrate - remembering which stitches to slip, which ones to knit, and which yarn to carry. But it's totally doable! And did I mention it's ingenious?

Here's the end result:

Aussie Transplant Hat

Inside the Aussie Transplant Hat

Sandi Pandi Yarn has Arrived

2010-12-13T18:32:00.000-05:00

Finally my package of Fabulous Felines yarn arrived from Yarnmarket.com. It got caught up in Canada Customs, and yes, they hit me with HST and duty...[grumble, grumble]

I bought two skeins of other Fabulous Felines yarn - Monet and Fidgesaurus Rex, but the yarn I was really looking forward to was that of my darling little Sandi Pandi Smooch Pooch.

What amazingly soft and shooshy yarn! I *love, love, love* it! Sandi and Shelby have sniffed it from top to bottom and they approve!

I'm going to design a pattern for the yarn, so keep your eyes out for it! Given the yardage and that it's chunky weight, I'm thinking a cowl. I don't think there's enough for a hat.

Shawn, the winner of a skein of this yarn, has already knit up a gorgeous cowl from it - the Quickie Cowl by Fawn Pea. You can see it here. Nice job Shawn!

Thank you again to Deb from Yarnmarket for the wonderful honor bestowed on Sandi Pandi!

While I think about a suitable pattern for her yarn, here are some pics of Sandi Pandi Smooch Pooch:

Sandi Pandi Smooch Pooch Yarn

Sandi Pandi with her yarn

Shelby with Sandi Pandi Yarn

Shelby wanted his photo taken too - he doesn't like the special attention Sandi's getting :-)

The Day After...

2010-12-08T19:37:00.000-05:00

Thankfully the 30cm of snow predicted for today was just pie in the sky! We had the odd little flurry, but for the most part, it was dry. Even the sun made a few guest appearances!

So we took the opportunity for some digging out. Here are the last pics of the snow storm:

Front of house

Side of house

Back of house

Car Park at Shop Entrance

Three Tier pond

Side Door to house

Grandma's pond

Well, I've just been informed that it's snowing like crazy outside (7:30pm). Bah humbug!

Winter Wonderland

2010-12-07T17:43:00.000-05:00

6th - 8th December, 2010

London, Ontario nearly declared a state of emergency on Tuesday after being inundated with three days of flurries, squawls and record levels of snowfall.

Environment Canada reported that some areas of London saw up to 80cm of snow on 6th December, another 20-30cm on 7th December, and yet another 10cm is expected on 8th December.

This has definitely smashed London's highest snowfall for one day, that was set on this day in 1977.

My photos:

6th December, 2010

Three Tier pond on 6th December, 2010

Three Tier pond 7th December, 2010

In the car heading home on 7th December, 2010

Snow drifts against our house on 7th December, 2010

Our house on 7th December, 2010

Depth of snow on 7th December at our front door (after shovelling on 6th December)

The path I shovelled to the shop door

Yes, and now I hurt LOL :-)

If you Build it......

2010-12-05T15:40:00.000-05:00

HEAT will come!

Despite some disagreement from me about the necessity of a wood stove, guess who's butt has been firmly planted in front of it since we had it installed?

MINE! Well, not all mine. I have to make room for two cats, and occasionally Nick comes in to.....

"throw another log on the fire....". He hasn't cooked me up any bacon and beans, nor has he fetched my slippers. But, this wood stove was one of his best ideas ~~(not that I'll ever admit to thinking it, let alone writing it!)~~

Installing the fireplace was not a difficult job, but it did take planning, remodelling and quite some hours of work.

First we had to move the 58ins flat screen TV (it now hangs on the wall). Helping move and hang that thing nearly killed me! Next, we had to move the corner china cabinet containing part of my lovely African Violet tea cup collection. Taking that sucker off the wall nearly killed me too! Findng somewhere to put it was the next hurdle. In the end there was only one place it could possibly go, and that's where it went!

The drywall was badly damaged where the big china cabinet had hung, so we had to repair umpty holes, do lots of sanding, and then paint. Of course there was no left over paint from a couple of years ago, and the colour wasn't a standard one (it was a bit o' this and bit o' that)! We finally got a very close match, and had to do three coats!

Now that the wall was finished we had to deal with the floor. A 60ins x 60ins piece of carpet plus the underlayment had to be removed (18ins from all points of the new wood stove). We already had some lovely natural stone tile in storage, and just had to get a few pieces cut. It was like a jigsaw puzzle putting it all together.

Once everything was set, it was time to mix the mortar, wash the stone, position and level them. Once dry, we had to mix the grout and finish the tiling. After lots and lots of wiping and cleaning, we had a beautiful tiled area for the wood stove.

The Regency F1100 was installed on 1st December. Installation only took a few hours, and by 3pm, we were enjoying the most awesome wood fire!

The small wood stove keeps the top floor of our house heated to between 23C-24C. We have lots and lots of hardwood and softwood. About every hour it requires another small log. We don't put any wood in after 8pm, and by 11pm, it's still about 21C. Our furnace only comes on in the wee hours of the morning until about 9am.

Every morning we clean out most of the ash (simple job since it has an ash box installed directly under the fireplace in the pedestal). The glass must be cleaned with a special cleaner that takes only a few minutes. Then we load it with a mix of softwood and hardwood, throw in a firestarter cube, and within minutes it's burning brightly! There's hardly any smell from it - just a little when the door is opened to throw in another log.

I so love not smelling that awful oil furnace. I love watching the fire. I love the warmth it provides. I love that we'll be saving mega bucks in oil. I love that the cats sit patiently waiting for us to start it in the morning. But what I love most is snuggling up on the couch with my knitting and listening to the Christmas carols! Aaaah, this is living!

And YES, you girls need to come over for a knitting night in front of the wonderful fireplace!

SANDI PANDI IS A CELEBRITY!!

2010-11-29T15:09:00.001-05:00

For those of you who know me best, you know I have three passions in life:

• Chocolate
• Yarn
• Cats

Try as I might, I have not been able to combine all three into one big box of delicious loveliness! I came close last year when I knit the Darkside Cowl combining a silk/cashmere blend in the "chocolate" colourway. Mmmm....chocolate.... This combination of yarn and chocolate was most satisfying!

So last week, with the awesome help of Deborah Knight, CMO at Yarnmarket, I was able to combine yarn with a feline!

Many of you have met the adorable and beautiful love of my life, little Sandi Pandi Smooch Pooch.....

Well, I'm absolutely delighted to announce that Sandi Pandi is now available as yarn!!!!!!!! Her Fabulous Feline Yarn has just been launched!!

OMG!!!!! Can you believe it? We're totally ecstatic! Who's a good girl? Who's a good girl then??

My Little Miss Canada!! Sandi doesn't fully understand what all the fuss is about, but she likes the extra attention. I knew my little girl had star potential!

Last year, as part of a competition, I sent her glam shots to Yarnmarket. Sandi didn't win any prizes at that time, but she did win the hearts of some voters, and the powers that be :-) Deborah told me she'd keep Sandi's photos on file for use in future yarn.

And lo and behold...a year later, this most wonderful news! Whoooooooot! Sandi will be forever immortalized in yarn! A celebrity in the Webb family!

Here is Sandi's winning photo:

And following are the details of the yarn from the Yarnmarket website:

"Felines Chunky" Yarn
A Yarnmarket exclusive! This high quality chunky yarn is made with sumptuously soft 100% merino wool that provides outstanding stitch definition. For an interesting twist, it's been hand-dyed by Iris Schreier of Artyarns to capture the many colors of cats. From tabbies to tortoise shells, we know how much cat lovers adore their feline friends, and we're certain yarn lovers will want to knit an original creation to match their own Fabulous Feline. Each color is named after an actual pussycat whose photo was submitted by a knitter.

Product Information
Brand: Fabulous Felines
Yarn Name: Felines Chunky
Fiber Content: Wool
Ball Weight: 100g
Yardage: 110yd
Texture: Plied
Yarn Weight: Chunky
Gauge: 3.5 stitches per 4.0 inches/10cm
Needle Sizes: 10.5 US
Care: Machine Wash &; Dry Flat

And here is the Sandi Pandi colourway from the Yarnmarket website:

1117 - Sandi Pandi Smooch Pooch

Last week Yarnmarket ran a contest on their blog, Shear Bagatelle. The contest was open to the public, and their goal was to correctly identify where Sandi Pandi comes from. Enthusiastic readers nailed it in three hours!! Totally amazing huh? The final winner, Michelle, from Portland, Oregon, won a skein of Sandi Pandi's Fabulous Feline Yarn, and a few other readers scored Yarnmarket fabric bags. Congratulations to you all!

A heartfelt THANK YOU to Deb from Yarnmarket, and all her amazing staff for this fantastic honour! Sandi also says: "meow, meow, meooooooooooooow". Loosely translated this means, "feed me, feed me, feed me nooooooow", but I think she really meant "thank you for this purrrrrfectly fabulous yarn".

ETA: Here's the Yarnmarket blog blurb.

Thwarted at Every Turn!

2010-11-25T20:23:00.000-05:00

So, in my last post I had a sore thumb, and although I couldn't spin or knit, I figured I could set up my old faithful sewing machine and run a few lines with her.

I've had a couple of knitting project bag designs swirling around in my head for a few months. Given my thumb injury, I used the knitting/spinning downtime to get my designs on paper. Following an hour or so of sketching, cutting, taping, and re-designing, I was ready to put fabric to the metal!

But what was this? My automatic needle threader was on the fritz! Darn! I hate having to manually thread the teensy eensy tiny little needle. Since I'm blind as a bat, I had to remove the needle, thread it, and then re-insert it! Painful.

Nevertheless, I churned out two project bag prototypes. One was carefully filed under SC, and the other required some further tweaking. Armed with my amended pattern and gorgeous fabric, I was ready to sew some bags for my badly neglected and stockless Etsy Shop!

La, la, laaah. La, la ... SNAP....! Oh for pete's sake what now? In my right hand I was holding my reverse stitching lever!!!!!! Argh! It had snapped off high up in the belly of my sewing machine. Why are the Gods against me?

I made a few calls and finally tracked down the only Singer Repair and Service Centre in London. Of course they are located on the other side of the city and their hours clash with my working hours. I did speak to a sales clerk though, and following that conversation, I knew what I had to do...

OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH THE NEW!

The parts, labour and service was going to cost half of what a new machine was worth! Plus I had to get the machine over to the Service Centre and then pick it up again!

I googled sewing machine sales in the London area, and found a store in Arva - North End Sewing Centre. Seems it was my lucky day. They had a Bernina Bernette 92c shop demo model for sale at 45% OFF! This machine does more than I really need, but because of the sale, it was the same price as a lower end Bernina. So, I took it for a test drive...

Key Features
- Adjustable and Second Spool Holder
- Free arm and Full Length Stitch Plate
- LCD display
- Quick Reference Guide with Graphics
- Improved Hook System
- Automatic Buttonholes
- Two Thread Cutters
- Optimum Sewing Light
- Automatic Needle Threader
- Reverse Sewing Button
- 150 Stitches including alphabets

My purse was shaking, my credit card coughed and gurgled as I handed it over to the sales clerk.

As my shiney new Bernina was lovingly wrapped and put in its box, I couldn't help but whimper with the thought of NOT getting that lovely new spinning wheel for Christmas afterall...

I've Got an Oweeeeeeee!

2010-11-25T10:49:00.000-05:00

Silly girl....what was I thinking? Well, obviously I wasn't too smart!! Yes, I should have known better - blah, blah, blah..... [sob, sob]

-----enough of the scolding------

My thumb hurts :-( And the cold makes it hurt more. And I've got things to do. And I don't have time to have an achey thumb! And I need a cuddle [sniffle, sniffle]....or chocolate at least!

-----enough of the pity party------

As you all know by now, I'm cranking out the knitting projects at a furious rate. Christmas is only ONE MONTH AWAY [gasp]. My knitting motorway has been quite smooth despite the congestion and occasional bit of ~~knit~~ road rage. Yes, there was the odd little bump in the road, a little detour and backtracking here and there, but all in all the road was clear.

Until the slick conditions yesterday!

I thought I'd enjoy a knitting layover, and pick up the hand-spinning instead. Afterall, I needed some handspun for my next project - Turn a Square by Jared Flood.

-----bit of background info-----

When I was at Little Red Mitten earlier this month, I picked up some wonderful Zen Yarn Garden Superwash Merino Roving (4oz). The colourways are gorgeous - hot pink, black, gray, burgundy, smoke and mauve.

And when I was at the Woodstock Fleece Festival last month, I picked up two skeins of fabulous 100% Black Welsh Mountain Sheep Wool (3ply aran weight) in the black and the gray colourways.

So, yesterday I dug out my lovely little Jenkins Turkish Spindle, and spun and spun. I reckon I spun almost half of the roving, and enjoyed myself on and off for probably 5 hours. Truth be known, I couldn't put the darn spinning down!

And now I have a big oweeeeeeee! My spinning thumb is so cramped up and so achey, I just wanna cut it off [boo hoo]. See beginning of post....silly girl..... As I lay in bed this morning, lamenting my poor sore thumb, there was a moment of weakness when I fleetingly considered using my other hand for spinning! [smack, smack]! See beginning of post....silly girl....

So now here I sit, unable to spin, unable to knit, barely able to type! But all is not lost cos I can still use my sewing machine!! And that's just what I'm gonna do!

I'm Ready for the White Stuff

2010-11-18T11:21:00.001-05:00

Well, not really. I'm never "ready" for the white stuff! It's pretty though around Christmas time when all the houses are decorated with lights.

Trouble is that the white stuff brings with it the kind of cccc...old that chills me to the bone. And having poor circulation [thanks Mum] means that the extremities suffer - ears, nose, hands and feet.

By far the worst problem is my feet. Thank goodness I'm not six feet tall! No matter what I do, I have cold feet. And once my feet are cold, that's the end of me.....I'm frozen. I own all the proper winter attire to combat cold feet, but none of them work as well for me as my heated "slippies". Mmm....heated slippies....

In an attempt to keep my hands warm this year, I just finished knitting myself a pair of mittens. These are no ordinary mittens. I've basically taken two alpacas, stuffed one into each mitten and called them "Thrummed Mittens".

Soft doesn't even begin to describe these babies. I just want to cuddle them all day!

I bought the alpaca yarn and 4oz of alpaca fleece at the Woodstock Fleece Festival in October this year. I dyed the fleece with Kool Aid using Strawberry, Cherry and Grape. Since there was so much fleece, I decided to use my Turkish Drop Spindle to make about 25 yards of yarn to knit into the cuffs.

Voila, I present to you: Alpaca Yum Thrum Mittens:

Sandi is undecided about my Alpaca Yum Thrum Mittens

Finished Alpaca Yum Thrum Mittens

Inside my Alpaca Yum Thrum Mittens

You people may laugh, but my hands are gonna be warm...no warmer than warm....they're gonna sweat by crikey! LOL!

Every Year - Same Thing

2010-11-11T10:50:00.001-05:00

... No matter how early I start the Christmas knitting, I'm scrambling to finish my projects by mid November. And where's the joy in that? The added agony is that I must finish the knitting in plenty of time for Canada Post and Australia Post to deliver my yarnie goodness in time for Christmas!

Can you believe that I started knitting Chrissie projects in ... [just checking] ... July!!

Note to self ... there are special places for people like me ....

So, massive knot in back of neck, aside [I wonder whether I have knitter's knotty neck syndrome?], I feel like I've knit a mile a minute during the last three weeks. This morning I cast on the second Easygoing sock for Mum, thus completing the knitted gifts that are Oz bound! Yay [reads: freakin thank you God YAY!!].

Hopefully my family won't take a sneak peek at this blog....cos I'm blogging the FOs (finished objects).

SPOILER ALERT!

MY FAMILY SHOULD NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER....

GO FIND SOMETHING BETTER TO DO!

IF YOU DO NOT CLOSE YOUR BROWSER IMMEDIATELY,

YOU WILL ENDURE TWO WEEKS OF ROTTEN LUCK....

OR SOMETHING BAD WILL HAPPEN ;-)

Dad's Mistaken Alpaca Sox

Cougar Cap (for Jaycee)

Whale Cap (for Karlia)

Tease's Cell Phone Cozy

Emily the Tiger (for Emily)

And because I'm truly MAD, I attended the first of two classes last week (taught by Joan from Little Red Mitten) to knit the Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman. This one is pretty mindless knitting, and there's no deadline for completion! I'm using Viking of Norway SportsRagg yarn in variegated royal and dark blues.

Seneca, by Jared Flood has been on hold for a while now. Poor Seneca. I'm hoping to get back to her in a few weeks!

WAIT, THERE'S MORE....

More Christmas knitting that is! That lot up there, plus a whole whack of other projects, is Oz bound. There's still the Christmas knitting for my Canadian family.....including three spoiled cats [whispering - and if they are good little kitties, Santa might bring them some felted catnip toys!!].

Now I'm done....LOL....

Two Festivals in Two Days!

2010-10-23T17:27:00.000-04:00

22nd October, 2010

I was invited by my friend Glen to accompany her on a bus trip to CreativFestival. This event is held twice a year at the Metro Toronto Convention Center.

It was obviously the place to be on Friday. I've never seen so many frenzied crafters under one roof in my life! The place was totally packed. Buggies, trollies and people everywhere. The heat was stifling, and the shuffle was at snail's pace. Heaven forbid if you stopped - I didn't see any road kill, but I'm sure there was some [LOL]. But none of that prevented the the cash from freely flying out of my hands and into another's!

My interest in the festival was mostly knitting related. I didn't have a shopping list, but I had a short wish list - knitting books, an addi circular needle and perhaps a lovely new bag.

The heavens smiled down on me, and granted my three wishes. I found some great books at a great price - 40% off! I found a suitable addi turbo needle, and then.....there it was! The most beautiful bag I've ever seen!

Exterior pockets? Check.
Interior pockets? Check.
Zippered interior divider and detachable shoulder strap? Check. Check.
Strong magnetic closures and metal feet on the bottom? Check. Check.

Soooo beautiful! I had to have it. I'm now the proud owner of a RED Namaste Laguna Bag. Soft as a baby's bottom, PVC-free, animal-friendly faux leather, adjustable strap length of 30" to 53", and a whopping 17 1/2" W x 16" H x 7 1/2" D.

My Laguna

23rd October, 2010

Another early morning start, and this time off to Woodstock to the annual Fleece Festival held at the Woodstock Fair Grounds.

Although it began a little slowly, it really got busy from about 11am onwards. So many fabulous vendors. Yarn and fiber galore! Alpaca, angora, mohair, merino, cashmere...oh boy! I was looking for and found some alpaca roving and yarn to knit Thrummed Mittens. Thrummed mittens (or fleece-lined mittens) originated from Newfoundland and Labrador. Twisted bits of unspun, carded fleece are knitted into the mitten to create a cozy lining. With wear and use, the fleece inside felts into an insulating layer.

I also wanted another couple of fairisle mitten kits. These kits contain a 50/50 yarn blend of mohair and wool. Super soft and warm. These will be Christmas gifts.

And finally I saw some lovely yarn in darkest brown and heathered brown that would be perfect for a fairisle hat. The yarn is 60% Black Welsh Mountain Sheep and 40% Cotswold/Dorset cross. It's a wonderful 3-ply yarn in natural colours.

AND NOW I'M POOPED!

In One Hand and Out the Other

2010-10-21T11:38:00.000-04:00

Money, that is! And lots of it [grumble, grumble].

The last two weeks have been crazy! Savings have taken flight - gobbled up as quickly as I consume chocolate!

First there was the electric hot water heater, then there was the pressure tank for the well. On the heels of those two followed the plumbing for the greenhouse and the fuse block and wiring harness for the van [ouch!]. Towards the end of the week, the cats went to the vet for their annual wellness check-ups and vaccinations. I swear it'd be cheaper to tuck 'em under my jumper and go to my regular doctor! And the salt in the wound was a leak in the ceilings of the bathroom and hallway that required drywall repairs and re-painting.

Bathroom (before)

Bathroom (after)

Hallway (before)

Hallway (after)

Now I need a bank error in my favour [LOL].

I did manage some knitting in amongst all the household drama. I knit socks for Mum for Christmas. I modified the Easygoing pattern by Linda Fisher to include and extra cable repeat down the front of the sock. I also alternated two different cables throughout the sock. This sock was knit from Tanis Fiber Arts Purple Label Cashmere Sock. What an absolute delight to knit with this yarn!

Easygoing with a Twist

I am halfway through socks for Dad's birthday. The pattern is Alpaca Sox Socks by Joan from the Little Red Mitten. I'm knitting these socks using Classic Elite Yarns Alpaca Sox in the blue gray colorway. Another lovely yarn to knit with.

And finally, I am about a third of the way through Seneca, a Jared Flood Pullover. I'm using Cascade Yarns 220 Heathers. Like some other knitters, I found that the gauge for this pullover was not accurate. I knit a swatch and measured it, and was right on with gauge (as usual). I knit the usual size 38, but it was massive! I dropped down to a size 36 AND I dropped down a needle size!

Bring on the weekend!

Another Fair Bites the Dust

2010-10-03T20:13:00.000-04:00

As I've done in years gone by, so I did this year. I entered 13 items in the 2010 Ilderton Fall Fair. There was one minor difference this year - ten items were knitted and only three were baked! A sign of the times - just a little too busy with the business to bake for two days.

There is always so much to see and do at an old fashioned country fair....but only when the weather co-operates. And this year it was cold, wet and muddy. Barb and I, like many others, braved the wet and cold with winter coats and umbrellas. Attendance was understandably below average, and many rides were not running, but the Arena was buzzing with activity. All kinds of arts and crafts, baking, flowers and handwork.

I was really pleased with my efforts this year - a whole bunch of ribbons to add to my collection!

Here are the knitted items:

FIRST PLACE

Rogue Hoodie

FIRST PLACE

Cell Phone Cozy

FIRST PLACE

Geometer's Sketchpad Felted Bag

FIRST PLACE

Newfie Mittens and Hat

FIRST PLACE

Andean Hat and Mittens

FIRST PLACE

Preemie Blanket and Hat

SECOND PLACE

Caramello Hilja Vest

SECOND PLACE

Hunter's Hoodie

THIRD PLACE

Here are the baked items:

FIRST PLACE

Blackforest Cherry Cake

FIRST PLACE

Egg and Vegie Casserole

SECOND PLACE

Blackforest Cherry Trifle

Not a bad haul huh?

Only one item didn't get a placing - that was a baby set.

Now I'm gonna go cut myself a HUGE slice of that winning Blackforest Cherry Cake! Mmmm......

A Fish, Some Birds and a Hoodie

2010-09-27T15:19:00.000-04:00

So what do all these things have in common? Nothing but ME and my camera.......

I have a sick fish - a koi in fact. She's been a member of our fishy family for about 7 years now, so it's sad that she's dying. And what's sadder is that there's nothing I can do to comfort her or heal her. I can only watch and hope she passes very soon.

She has a condition known as Dropsey. It's such a nasty infection and almost always fatal. It's basically an infection of an internal organ, often the kidney. My koi is no longer able to process her fluids. They build up inside her causing severe bloat. What makes dropsy so hard to diagnose in time to treat it is that the symptoms do not show up until the fish has entered the final stages of the disease. The fish literally blows up like a balloon. Its scales stick out, making the fish resemble a pinecone. The eyes will bulge out from the trapped fluids beneath, and fin rot, ulcers and red streaks appear.

I'm not going to display a photo - it's not a pretty sight.

...............

In other news...

Every year about this time, we have a zillion little black birds fill our trees and make one helluva racket like you wouldn't believe. Kinda reminds me of galahs back home in Australia. Just try to imagine thousands of parrots talking at the same time! The trees were totally covered. Then the birds lifted together and swooped down at the same time to Mega Pond for what I presume was a last drink. Then they all lifted up at the same time and continued on their migration. Wish I knew what they are.....

Black birds

.................

And finally, a hoodie for my nephew, Hunter.

It turned out really well in the end. No knitting issues, but I did run out of yarn - completely! I had to seam it up with some left over yarn from another project that closely matched the colour! Thank goodness for stashed leftovers!

Hunter's Hoodie

I learned a new sleeve seaming technique with this hoodie. I was having trouble seaming the raglan sleeves so that you could see the double knit stitching. I found a great website that offered a brilliant solution. I used a crochet hook and slip stitch crochet stitch to join the seams together. It worked so well and made such a nice finish on the inside, that I crocheted the hood to the sweater in the same way!

Genius! Thank you Bonne Marie Burns!

Christmas in September

2010-09-13T17:14:00.000-04:00

On 11th September I went on a fabulous road trip to the Kitchener/Waterloo Knitters' Fair. Our driver was Laurie, and the passenger list was supposed to be rounded out with Barb and Erinkate. Unfortunately, after counting down the sleeps to the big event, Erinkate had a small family emergency and couldn't make it. If I were Erinkate, I'd have been totally devastated!

Laurie blogged wonderfully about the Fair here.

I couldn't imagine not attending the Knitters' Fair. It's truly like Christmas in September! When I was little, Christmas was steeped in tradition with few gifts, great merriment and much to be thankful for. For me, the Knitter's Fair is just like that...BUT....all the Chrissie pressies under the tree have my name on them!

This year, I adopted a conservative approach to yarn shopping at the Fair, having just attended the Needle Emporium's Tent Sale a few weeks prior. In fact, I was overheard mumbling something about "going to look and touch only". See, my intentions were good :-)

BUT who can resist a bargain?? And there were some good ones to be had if you searched hard enough.

Here's my little Fair haul:

Knitters' Fair Haul

So, the two giant skeins of natural yarn (left) are Blue Faced Leicester 2/8 from Gemini Fibres. Each has 1000yds and I got them for $18 each!!!! $18!! That was a steal. When I bought this yarn two years ago (to knit Vicky Tempest), I paid $37.98 per skein!

The longer brown skein (middle) is alpaca lace from Alpaca Acres. This is destined to become a cowl - I already have the pattern for it.

The two smaller natural coloured balls and the lighter brown one (middle) are alpaca DK from Inca. They are destined to become a stranded hat.

The plastic bag containing the teal blue and coffee coloured skeins (right front) are 50/50 mohair/merino from Wellington Fibres. This kit has a pattern included for a stranded pair of mittens. I went back to their booth after lunch to get a second kit, but alas....they were sold out.

And the lovely little kit wrapped in cellophane (top right) contains two skeins of gray alpaca, some bamboo dpns, some lavender hand lotion and a little coth bag filled with soap nuts. Soap nuts are the laundry soap and fabric softener made by Mother Nature!

My day at the Fair was wonderful. Thank you Laurie and Barb!

The Archilles Heel on my Hat!!

2010-09-12T11:55:00.000-04:00

Last week I thoroughly enjoyed reading a blog post by my lovely friend Laurie entitled "Going through a Phase". In her knitting post Laurie wrote about issues with Noro Blankie and the resulting fall-out they had to work through.

I commented to her that I had a similar experience with my China Blue Andean Hat. I'd knit it up super fast, blocked and dried it, photographed it and posted pictures on Ravelry. As I was admiring my hat, my husband happened along and laughed at the grumpy face Andean pattern. Hmm...I hadn't noticed it whilst knitting. We joked that I should rename my hat accordingly.

Later that day, I excitedly cast on the matching China Blue Andean Mittens. I knit them up super fast too since the stranded pattern is only twenty rows and quite easy. Once the Andean pattern was complete, I admired the stranded work, but just couldn't see the grumpy face in the pattern.

UH OH......

Yup, you guessed it! There was a grumpy face on the Andean hat because I'd mistakenly omitted a row of the pattern! And not just any row either. It was row 3 of course.....right at the beginning of the chart and the hat.

What to do? Rip and re-knit? I figured there had to be another way. Frogging the entire hat seemed the very long way around the error.....as well as being VERY annoying.

So I thought I'd be clever. Yes, I know what you're all thinking....... wipe those smirks of your faces!

Here's what the erroneous hat looked like:

Andean Hat - Mark I

See the first orange/yellow stripe at the brim? Well, just above that - the fourth row of the pattern looks like a grumpy smile. See it? It's where I didn't close the blue box pattern.

So what I did was to snip the blue yarn above the Andean pattern and unravel one row. This left me with two pieces - the blue crown to the left of me, and the stranded body to the right. The blue crown had a long squiggley bit of yarn attached to it.....that was the row I'd unravelled.

I then ripped back the stranded work and re-knit the pattern properly. Worked brilliantly!

I carefully slipped all 98 stitches from the crown piece onto two needles being certain not to twist the stitches.

This is where I think I made the mistake. Instead of snipping off the squiggley bit of blue yarn (where I unravelled the crown from the body) I decided to knit one more crown round so as not to waste the yarn.

I then proceeded to graft the two pieces together. It coulda worked! And it did actually, except I had a row of twisted stitches! And the join was of course very noticeable.

Where did I go wrong? I should NOT have knit the extra round on the crown. In hindsight, I knit that row from the top down.....whereas the body of the hat was knit from the bottom up. So of course the stitches would be twisted!! DOH!

Lesson learned - the hard way as usual - as all good lessons are.

Darn this hat. There was nothing left to do but rip the crown back and re-knit it. I figured it would be faster than undoing the grafting and that extra row I knit on the crown.

I present to you the correct version of the Andean Hat:

Andean Hat - Mark II

And YES to those who I'd spoken with.....the uneven knitting from the squiggley yarn blocked out without too much effort!

Projects Flying off Needles

2010-09-08T21:21:00.000-04:00

My needles have been busy! Clickety clack, clickety clack.

Now that the business season is slowing down, I have a little more time between customers to knit.

Projects are truly flying off my needles.

The first project is my Silva Eki Riva Scarf. The pattern is called Mead Scarf by Elizabeth Morrison. I bought this yarn in Australia during my last visit. It is Supreme Fingering, 4 ply, 100% Alpaca by Eki Riva.

Silva Eki Riva Scarf

This next project is one I designed. It's a felted and lined bag. This bag turned out fairly well. The only problem was that the cream coloured Lamb’s Pride Bulky did not want to felt very well. So the bag is a little lop-sided.

Geometer's Sketchpad

This next project is a favourite mitten and hat set. Every year during September I knit for charity. The Newfie Mitts and Hat are for the Women's Resource Centre. I made up the pattern for the hat, and the instructions for knitting it can be found here.

Newfie Mittens

Newfie Hat

This next project was completed for my friend Kanna who is expecting a baby in October! This pattern is called Cable Cardigan and Hat SRK 164 by Sandi Prosser.

Cable Cardigan and Hat

I'm currently working on a few projects that I'll post next week hopefully :-)

Crikey Nora! Not More Yarn!

2010-08-20T17:02:00.000-04:00

Ya know how shortly after you get married you set aside a room in the house for a special addition to the family? A sweet little room that would make a lovely nursery?

Well, I've never had a room like that in my house!

That's not to say I didn't want one! It just never happened for me. And now I've been married far too long and round the block far too many times to want one!

But there is a spare room in the house. It's called the guest room which is quite silly of course because there are so rarely guests. Despite the guest room being mostly guestless, it is fully occupied. With YARN that is! And everthing yarnie....swift, ball winder, patterns, books, niddy noddy, rovings, spindles, needles AND cupboards and boxes of yarn.

Can one ever have too much yarn? Well, I must admit that in my case the answer is a resounding ...YES.

As testament to the above admission, I think back to my husband's exlamation last night when I came home fully laden "Aww gawd, not more bloody yarn. You'll be knitting in your sleep!"

And he's right. Jerk.

Well the way I see it - I don't smoke, drink, gamble or do drugs (although sometimes I'm sure people wonder about that last one). So I'm addicted to yarn and chocolate. And in my own self defense, I do knit for my Mum, sister, sister in law, mother in law, three nieces and friends. And the chocolate is sustenance - energy required to knit! [hehehe].

So what was it that prompted my husband's outburst?

Ta daaa:

I see two sweaters, a cowl, a bag, a scarf and maybe mittens! What do you see?

Inspector Gadgets!

2010-07-29T16:22:00.000-04:00

Hey! Who remembers that clumsy little techno animated dude on TV called Inspector Gadget?

C'mon....sure you do! You're probably humming the show's catchy little tune right now! Da, da, da, da, daaa...Inspector Gadget....Da, da, da, da, da, da, daaaa...

I sure remember him - gadgets and devices for every ocassion - half of which he could never get to work quite right..... Inspector Gadget is a comical glimpse of what happens when you get over gadgetized! But can one ever have too many gadgets?

We live in a world full of amazing gadgetry. All kinds of stuff that promises to make our lives easier. And in all fairness, most of these little techno bits do.

So, I just added two little gadgets to my growing collection of knitting accessories! Sure I coulda lived without them, but why should I?

For years I've blocked out scarves, shawls and shawlettes on my loungeroom floor using a zillion sewing pins. My blocking board is simply a 4ft x 6ft x 1.25ins thick piece of memory foam. The more pins I use, the better the end result....but heaven help the bare-footed chick who forgets the blocking board as she runs across the loungeroom! Ooooweeeee!

Last week I finished knitting the Checkerboard Lace Scarf by Whitney Van Nes for my sister for her birthday. I knitted it with Smooshy Starry in the In Vino Veritas colorway. I washed and blocked it in the usual way, but the scarf was so long, and I just couldn't get straight sides no matter how hard I tried. And to make matters worse, in some spots it was blocked at 7.75ins wide and in others 7.5ins and 8ins! Ach je!

I finally bought some blocking wires and T pins!!

Yay for blocking wires and T pins! Why have I been struggling all these years with sewing pins?? Argh!! Why didn't anybody take me off to one side and smack me up the head with my own knitting? You girls know who I'm talking about!!

Needless to say, I love my new blocking gadget.

Look Mum, no sewing pins!

Since I was in the gadget buying department, why stop at one gadget? Who wants a half full drawer of gadgets?

I didn't have to look too far....heh! As soon as I spied this awesome little gadget, I knew it was coming home with me too. I am now the proud owner of a yardage meter! Whoot! This will be so amazingly useful when I skein up my handspun yarn.

So now I'm smug. Smug with my gadgets. And they do make my life that little bit easier.

Models at Last

2010-07-11T22:06:00.000-04:00

Finally I've written up the pattern for the Little Vesta and Little Vesta 2 I knit for my nieces Jaycee Mae (5yr) and Karlia (7yr).

The hold-ups were that I knit these vests for their birthdays and had to wait for their special days to pass, and then I wanted photos of them wearing their vests.

And now I have photos:

Jaycee Mae in Little Vesta

Karlia in Little Vesta 2

The patterns are now published in Ravelry. Yeah!

Gathering of Sticks and String

2010-07-01T12:29:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CANADA!

Last evening at The Bloomin Bog a wee group of friends gathered for an S&B, a BBQ and a Canada Day celebration. The binding ~~yarn~~ thread - friendship, a love of knitting, and all things to do with sticks and string!

The weather was perfect - a wonderful sunny 20C, no humidity, and a gentle breeze. Even the bities had a day off [nodding upwards and giving thanks!]

Amidst the pouring of wine, the clicking of needles and the laughter of women-folk (barr Deb's brilliant man-slave, Dan), the BBQ sizzled and the aroma of wonderful salads, sausages and steak filled the air. Mmmm......BBQ......

Following the culinary delights that only a pot luck and BBQ could offer, our group of 15 wandered down to the back yard where we set up to knit and nibble on donuts and these cute little sheep (made from cherry chip cake, sprinkles and liccorice)! They were good!

As the fire subsided Dan braved the super hot flames and embers and made us all marshmallow smores graham cracker thingies. They were good too! I believe there may be videographic evidence of me eating my first one ever. Let's hope that never sees the light of day Rebecca [chuckle].

Around 9pm we figured it was time to start a fire for our fireworks. Ably led by Barb and Erinkate [Girl Guide Extraordinaire and Scout Leader], and a candle flame from Laurie, a crackling fire warmed the air. The smell of fire soon brought out my fire-bug Nick and his never-ending supply of wood. Our sweet little fire grew into a rip roaring bon-fire.

Right at dusk we let the firecrackers rip. A zinger here and there, a coupla rockets, some awesome fountains, a comet or two and a screamer. Wish I’d thought of sparklers.....:-(

We were missing a few friendly faces – peeps with previous engagements. Wish you could have all been here. But one friendly face in particular was absent, and she shoulda been there since the party was her brain-child – Kat we really missed you!

Thank you everyone for your part in making yesterday’s gathering a wonderful event!

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

Em's Blu-ange Chullo

2010-06-19T23:00:00.000-04:00

Last week at this time I was on the phone to my family in Australia. The whole gang was there. They had gathered at Mum and Dad's in Grafton to celebrate Mother's Day, Mum's birthday, my brother's birthday and my niece Karlia's birthday. And yes, according to another niece, Emily (6yr old), there was indeed three birthday cakes! I asked her which cake she liked the taste of most. She diplomatically answered that they were ALL the best.

When I spoke with my sister, I asked her what gift I could knit for Emily for her birthday in July. She suggested that I knit her a beanie (translation = toque) with earflaps.

When I was on the phone to Emily I told her to keep an eye on the letterbox for a BIG package from Canada that would be arriving for her in a few weeks. She was of course very excited. Then she told me that she knew what I was going to send her. I queried how she could possibly know. She replied that I was sending her knitting. When I asked her how she knew that, she replied "Aunty Isa, you always send me knitting". I giggled and told her that I might not send her knitting this year. She insisted that she knew what colour I was going to knit for her. I asked her how she could possibly know since I didn't even know yet. She reminded me then that her favourite colours are orange, blue and the rainbow!

So whether it was fated or not, I present:

Emily's Blu-ange Chullo

And, in the immortal words of Monty Python, now for something completely different...

Apparently, I might be old and faded, but I'm not beyond being a bridesmaid at a friend's wedding! Ugh! C'mon now...really? A dress and shoes? Ugh...ugh! The last time I wore a bridesmaid dress was in 1985. It was hideous. Long, with puffy lace sleeves, a hoop in the bottom and lime green in colour. Eeeeew!

My friend's wedding is scheduled for 2011 in September and will be held in our own lovely gardens at The Bloomin Bog. Oh man.......... I haven't worn high heeled shoes and a dress for 11 years.

So there's the news this end. I'm off now to start a new knitting project. And I have absolutely NO IDEA what it will be!!

Coupla FOs

2010-06-07T23:00:00.000-04:00

Time is not my friend at the moment. So many things are pulling me in all sorts of directions, and it's hard to find a few minutes to sit down and be quiet.

Tonight I didn't have to cook - that's my Sunday "reward". So that means I have a small window of opportunity to blog.

Not that there's anything much to blog about, but I did finish two projects since my last post.

Last month I knit a vest for my lovely little niece Karlia. Her birthday is next week, and she'll be turning 7. You'd be correct in thinking that you've seen this pattern before. I wrote the pattern for my other lovely little niece, Jaycee who turned 5 in April.

Karlia's vest was knit from Diamond Yarn Fine Merino Superwash DK. It knit up very nicely, but when I washed it to block it....UGH. The vest GREW quite long! Very disappointing. I hope it still fits Karlia and doesn't become a dress!

Here's the finished project:

Karlia's Vesta

Last month I got a new cell phone - a Sony Ericcson. So I decided I needed a sweet little cozy for it. I bought some glass beads, and used some left over Koigu from the Gerlinde Fingerless Gloves.

This project was mindless and took no time at all to finish.

Beaded Sony Mobile Phone Holder

Crikey, Blimey and Poop!

2010-05-16T21:11:00.000-04:00

The title says it all. Remember back in January when I had all that good luck and was worried about cosmic forces crashing down around me?

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaa..........

Well, enter April! Whatever could go wrong did. Brutal month.

Things have settled down again now, but the drama and stress held me hostage for a while. I've got the cold sores and husky voice as proof.

I didn't even have the energy or inclination to knit much. I finished a little jumper for my new nephew in law, Hunter, a dazzling little tooth fairy bag for my niece, Emily, and a pair of fingerless gloves for my Mum for Mother's Day.

Here are some pics:

Hunter's PC

Tooth Fairy Pouch

Gerlinde Fingerless Gloves

Lookin' Good in the Hood

2010-03-31T20:17:00.000-04:00

La, la, la, la, la, la, laaaaah!

I've got a new hoodie! After knitting for what seemed like an eternity, my Chocolate Rogue Hoodie is finally finished! Perhaps it seemed to take so long because of other knitting interruptions; namely the Little Vesta for Jaycee and the Gattsbaby Jacket for Hunter.

Looking back at my Ravelry project page, I note that I cast on my Chocolate Rogue on 6 February, 2010. Then from 4 -23 March I put the hoodie aside while I worked on my other two projects. So I guess it really only took 5 weeks to knit. Hmm.....just seemed so much longer.....

Anyway, here are some photos of my finished hoodie:

It's Been a While

2010-03-25T17:23:00.001-04:00

Sometimes when I blink, I swear that more than a moment passes. Seems like the last six weeks have been nothing more than a wrinkle in time.

Not that I haven't been busy - it's the opposite actually.

I made it through the Olympics - knitting furiously, but not finishing my Rogue Hoodie.
I wrote and desktop published a 56 page colour catalogue for our business.
I built a new website for the business.
I bought new software for the business sales computer and entered 700 inventory items (each with 15 fields!).
I interviewed 20 job applicants and selected two additional staff to the four I already have.
I ordered a whole load of stock for the business.
I had a birthday - lovely day.
I knit my niece a vest.
I knit a baby jacket for my NIL's (niece in law) baby shower.
And I wrote and desktop published a spring newsletter.

So here are some photos of my knitting:

Little Vesta for Jaycee Mae

Gattsbaby Sweater

P.S. Since the photo I fixed the alignment problem on the baby jacket.

I Told a Lie

2010-02-09T12:55:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I told a wee lie in my last post [smack, smack and three Hail Marys]. I wrote that after I finished knitting the Blackforest Hilja Vest, I'd be casting on a double-knit scarf.

Therein lies the lie!

Since I mostly knit in front of the TV, and double knitting requires concentration and looking at what you're doing, I decided the scarf would have to wait.

Besides, I'm crook. Real crook. Grumble....grumble..... Landed myself a fabulous bout of the flu. It started on Friday with the sore throat from HELL. By Sunday, my voice was gone! I know it's hard to imagine ME quiet. And it was damn hard not speaking for two full days! Bloody hell!

And now it's Monday. I still feel yucky, but the sore throat is tolerable, the voice - although deep and husky - is also back. BUT now I've started the coughing (reads "bad night's sleep").

So since I've been unable to do much of anything, I've been knitting. I needed fairly mindless projects since my feverish condition rendered my concentration quite useless. Amen to the Turner Classic Movie channel!

Blackforest Hilja was finished on Friday:

Front

Back

And so, on Saturday I cast on for another hoodie. This one is called Rogue, by Jenna Wilson. Not only is Rogue in my queue, but the yarn was in my stash! (long live NYE resolutions!).

I'm knitting Rogue with Cornelia Hamilton Heaven's Hand Wool Classic yarn . It's a worsted weight, variegated yarn in chocolate and dark chocolate brown. I actually love the yarn and the colour, but I'm glad this project is very light on the cabling because the cables are lost in the darkness of the browns. I figured they would be.

No matter - Rogue is a good TV project during my hiatus from work!

Last of the Mittens

2010-01-30T12:19:00.000-05:00

For those of you following my blog, you might remember that I signed up for NaKniMitMo10 (a mitten knit-a-long for January 2010).

Well, last night I finished the third and final pair of mittens. The pattern was Swedish Fish by SpillyJane. I used Colinette Jitterbug sock yarn for the background colour, and Estelle Cadenza sock yarn for the red fish.

The pattern called for a 72 st cast on, with an increase to 82 sts after the ribbing. I was dubious about knitting 82 sts for mittens for my small hand. But, the pattern called for 2mm needles versus the usual 2.5mm, so I figured that they might fit.

WRONG.

I knit about 2ins on the first mitten, decided it was going to waaaay too big, and frogged it back.

I redid the charts to remove one column of fish from the front and one from the back. Then I added a few stitches left and right on both sides to balance the mitten out for a 62 st cast on. After ribbing 10 rows, I increased to 72 sts. Perfect!

Mods: I knit one extra row of fish for the length of the mitten. I also changed the decreases on the fingertips in keeping with the pattern decreases over ten rounds.

This was a pretty easy knit compared to the complex charts for the Mogit Selbut Mittens I knit earlier this month. Still, it was enjoyable and a good project for TV watching.

Sarassa Pond Fish Mittens (front)

Sarassa Pond Fish Mittens (back)

I'm glad the kint-a-long has drawn to a close. It is quite exhausting knitting with a deadline....and where's the fun in that?

Now for something completely different -

A new vest! I had to have a mindless knitting project in between all those stranded and fair isle projects. So I cast on another vest. I present to you Blackforest Hilja:

Blackforest Hilja

Blackforest is the yarn I dyed at Shelridge Farms in November. It is worsted weight soft touch ultra. A really lovely soft yarn, and a delight to knit with.

In between the mittens and the vest, I went on a fabulous road trip with the girls to Shall We Knit in New Hamburg. There I attended a workshop to learn the amazing double-knitting technique. Double-knitting is a form of knitting in which two fabrics are knit simultaneously with two yarns on one pair of needles. The fabrics may be inseparable, as in interlock knitted fabrics, or they can simply be two unconnected fabrics. In other words, double-knitting is used for knitted items that can be reversible (e.g. scarf, hat, potholder, etc.). And the totally neat thing is that whatever you knit on the right-side is mirrored on the wrong-side. The colours are just opposite!

So guess what my next project is going to be??? [hehehe]

Some Mittens and a Party

2010-01-20T17:38:00.000-05:00

Well, after all my cosmic ramblings, nothing's happened! A few more odd dreams, but nothing else. Brilliant I say! Damn brilliant. I don't need cosmic forces working against me [laughing] - I'm battling enough already.

In my last post I mentioned some mittens I was knitting - Selbuvotter #7 by Terri Shea. I finally settled on some colours - brown and olive. I wasn't thrilled with my colour choices, but beggars can't be choosers! I resolved to knit from my stash, and my Shetland Spindrift stash was lacking in any sort of natural colorway.

The mittens turned out spectacularly well! And I'm not just saying that cos I knitted them. They fit like a glove and they are so, so pretty. I struggled with the thumbs....don't know why. Well, I do really - I was watching too much TV and not watching what I was doing!

Showtime:

Mogit Selbu Mittens (front)

Mogit Selbu Mittens (back)

And on Saturday 16th January, I was invited to a birthday party for Kathryn .... one balloon, no cake - but a sparkler in a dessert! We ate at East Side Mario's (a little taste of Italy) across from Masonville Place. I ate too much salad and bread to finish my meal, but I took the left overs home and they lasted all of five minutes.

Party Goers

Cosmic Ramblings

2010-01-08T14:25:00.002-05:00

I read my horoscope today. It’s not something I read often, nor place great faith in. But, when I feel like there are cosmic forces at work in my life, I like to study my daily forecast to see what the divine astrological gurus have to say.

I am a Pisces (two fishes tied to one another and swimming in opposite directions). My ruling planet is Neptune; my element is water; my birthstone is aquamarine, my special colours are turquoise and green, and my special plants are water lilies, lotus and jonquils. According to astrologists, my most likeable traits are compassion, sensitivity and spirituality.

I HAVE TO SAY THAT THIS IS TOTALLY ME. I can't profess to know anything much about Neptune (other than it's the 8th planet), but the rest is totally spot on.

So, today’s horoscope reads:

"There's been countless times when you've come face to face with this particular problem, and each time you tend to make the same mistake. Consequently, you might do yourself a favour by listening to someone who has been in this situation before you, and open your mind to alternative approaches."

Hmmm…..

Here’s what lead me to consult with my horoscope. During the last few days:

I found $20 on the street.
1 found $10 in the pocket of my winter coat that I hadn’t worn since last year.
1 found $10 in my mitten knitting book – used it as a bookmark at least a year ago.
1 got the bill for electrical work that came in $2,000 under what I’d been quoted, and it seemed they did a lot more work!
I sold two items in my Etsy store today after having sold nothing for almost a year.

Yes, this all sounds brilliant, and I should be happy. But it’s not normal. I’m not lucky, not lucky at all.

And then there are my dreams. Vivid. Strange. Unsettling. I can’t remember them all. The last three nights though, my father dyed in one. In another, I was on a bus trip, the bus broke down, but I couldn’t get off the bus like everyone else. And last night I was hiding under the bleechers on a beach and a tidal wave crashed on top of me! I was holding my breath, but ran out of breath!

Something's up. Good fortune on one hand, and feelings of entrapment/turmoil/fear on the other. Weird.

If Carl Jung was here, he'd probably emphasize the importance of balance and harmony in my life.

Hmmmm.....I'm going to go do some knitting now. I don't think it'll help with my cosmic strife, but it couldn't hurt!

NaKniMitMo10

2010-01-07T13:57:00.000-05:00

I spend an inordinate amount of time on the Ravelry website. There, I've written it - admitting the addiction feels good - yes it does. But that's as far as it goes... I'm not going to any meetings! I love Ravelry, and being part of the whole Ravelry community brings me untold happiness.

I've wanted to participate in a Ravelry Knit-A-Long (KAL) for ages, but my working life often intrudes on my fabulous knitting life.

BUT NOT SO THIS MONTH!

I've signed up for the NaKniMitMo10 KAL. It began on 1st January, 2010 and will conclude on 31st January, 2010. Members simply knit as many pairs of mittens as they want during the month of January.

Why mittens? Well, January is one of the coldest months of the year and mittens are much warmer than gloves. They are relatively quick to knit, and you can be brave in color choices. You can try out different techniques like stranded colorwork, cables, etc. There are almost 2,400 free mitten patterns on Ravelry. You always have enough yarn in stash for mittens.

Pictures of finished mittens are in the NaKniMitMo Flickr Group.

So, do you see how this all ties in with my NYE resolution to knit from my queue and stash?

On 2nd January I cast on my first pair of mittens for the KAL. I finished them yesterday - Aran Felted Mittens #132 by Shirl the Purl. I knit these for my MIL's birthday on 22nd January.

Paran Mittens before felting

Paran Mittens after felting

And last night I finally decided upon my next mitten project: NHM #7 by Terri Shea. This fair isle mitten pattern comes from the Selbuvotter: Biography of a Knitting Tradition book by Terri Shea. The original mittens are on display in the Nordic Heritage Museum, Seattle, WA.

According to the book: "the main pattern is a stylized lily, according to Annemor Sundbo, and symbolizes purity and the Virgin Mary. Lilies arranged in a rosette pattern were often used in woven tapestries in the county Trondelag, where Selbu is situated. The palm pattern is reminiscent of the quilting pattern 'Double Irish Chain' ".

Now I just need to decide on two colours and I'll be casting on!

Nordic Sweetie Hat

2010-01-04T14:47:00.000-05:00

Have you got knitting projects that have been in your queue forever? You know the ones....you really, really want to knit them, but you think you've bitten off more than you can chew?

And fair enough....who wants to waste time and money?

Then there's that horrid little pessimistic voice in the back of your head telling you that you don't knit well enough to take on such glorious and difficult projects.

So you think to yourself "aww, heck - I'll leave them in my queue cos they're so darn nice and they'll give me something to aspire to when I become fearless"!

Then, Christmas comes and Christmas goes.........

-------------------------------

And before you know it, it's New Year's Eve!! Whoot! And that means only one thing: New Year's resolutions! [mad optimistic cheering].

Forget the mundane resolutions like: I will not eat so much chocolate; I will hunt down happiness and love; I won't allow stress to beat me up this year; I will not take things so personally; I will seek enlightenment; I will find a way to work less and earn more......

This year, I'm going for the great gusto - the ultimate of resolutions! That unatainable and supreme resolution made in haste just three seconds before the end of the old year....

I WILL KNIT FROM MY QUEUE.......and my stash!

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12:01am - 1 January 2010

Oh bugger! Why did I resolve to knit from my queue and stash? Ugh! What was I thinking?

With wreckless abandon I go to my Ravelry knitting queue. So many queued projects....... I close my eyes and click on one! Oh nooooooooooooo! Not that one! I quickly glance around the room - is anybody watching? I could re-click.......but.........darn conscience!!

Enter [stage holy crap left]: Nordic Sweetheart Hat by Anne Featonby! A study (= bloody PhD) in fair isle knitting!

Fearlessly, and comforted only by blocks of cadbury chocolate, TV marathons of Spiderman, Batman, Torchwood, Dr. Who and Corner Gas, I cast on 144 stitches with fingering weight yarn onto my 3.25mm circular needle.

I knit like a mad woman! I was obsessed! There was steam coming off that addi turbo! I only stopped to eat, go to the loo and sleep! My eyes hurt. My neck hurt. My butt hurt (I think there's a permanent groove in the lounge chair!). But I stayed the course. This afternoon I put the addi turbo down and exclaimed:

I DID IT!!

Without further ado, I give you:

Nordic Sweetie (front view):

Nordic Sweetie (back view):

Nordic Sweetie (side view):

Nordic Sweetie:

If I can do it, you can do it! Now go forth and be fearless too! Knit from your queue!

Another Christmas Bites the Dust

2009-12-28T14:03:00.000-05:00

Christmas has come and gone, and I for one am pleased! So much hype and stress - so much so that [cough, sneeze, sniff] I've landed myself a festive head cold!

But before I close the chapter on Christmas 2009, here are a few photos of my Christmas.

Christmas Eve at Nick's brother's house

Christmas Pavlova

The store is now closed, so I can snuggle up with my knitting and hopefully make a speedy recovery. But I'm not only snuggling up with my knitting!! Santa brought me a fabulous gift. Get a load of this baby:

Electric Fireplace

Can you see my smile from space??

I also got a fabulous gift certificate from my family for......[drum roll please...]

COLORSONG YARNS

Oh my! I've been asking for a yarn store gift certificate for years. My patience paid off big time! I can't wait to go online shopping. I love the store, and I love the owners!

My Daddy also came through and made me some very special wooden sock blockers! Bless his big heart! Of course I don't need all of them, so I'm going to list a few pairs in my Etsy Store.

Sock Blockers

On Christmas Eve I finished my Fern Fiddles Mittens. I love, love, love them. There was only one big disappointment.....there wasn't enough yarn to knit the linings. I'm REALLY annoyed by that cos the kit was very expensive. And then to be so meager with the yarn!! Yes, I'm going to email them.

Fern Fiddles

I hope you all enjoyed a blessed and happy Christmas with friends and family!

Baby it's Cold Outside

2009-12-19T20:32:00.001-05:00

Although not as cold as in other parts of Canada, it's still cold outside! Only four more days of the store being open and then....

I don't have to go OUTSIDE anymore [laughing] well, not until 1st March 2010! Woo hoo! Holidays are nearly here.

Quite honestly, I shouldn't complain about the cold. At least I'm not a fish!

Three Tier Pond

You might remember in my last post that I wrote about my Caramello Hilja Vest - the project had been stalled due to a pattern error. Well I'm now delighted to post pictures of the finished project! It's a great fit, and a really nice little pattern.

Caramello Hilja

I also got around to knitting the lining of my Fiddlehead Mittens. These mittens are super warm since there are basically three layers of fabric (two for the fairisle, and one for the lining). Tonight I will cast on the second mitten. The Tanis Fiber Arts DK (which incidentally looks more like sport weight to me) is very soft and a pleasure to knit with.

Lined Fiddleheads

Today I was swatching for my next sweater project: Rogue by Jenna Wilson. There are 1,040 Ravelry projects for this hooded sweater! Not bad when you do the math at $USD6 per pattern. There is a kangaroo style pocket pouch on the front of this sweater, but I don't think I'll knit that. I can't imagine putting my hands in the pouch and risking stretching the sweater.

The yarn I got for this project is Cornelia Hamilton's Heaven's Hand Wool Classic in the chocolate colourway. I ordered this yarn online, and the colour was darker in person than on my monitor. So I'm a little disappointed about that. There is some very pretty celtic cabling in this sweater pattern, and now I'm wondering whether the cables will get lost in the depth of the brown. What do you guys think?

Swatch

Fern Fiddles

2009-12-14T12:09:00.000-05:00

Despite finishing all my Christmas knitting [insert bitta self love and a good ol' pat on the back], my needles are full of other fun projects.

But before I share the good stuff, here are the completed Christmas knitting projects:

Never Smile at a Crocodile (this scarf is for a good friend's grand-daughter, Belle)

Naran Felted Mittens (these are for Nick)

Remember the Caramello Hilja Vest I wrote about earlier this month? Well, I'm almost finished it. The delay was an error in the pattern that I couldn't figure out. I wrote to the designer, but her reply left me more confused. So I wrote to a fellow Raveler who'd knit the pattern last year. Although Julia didn't knit her Hilja as per the pattern, she did help me figure out what the instructions meant. I would like to add here that the designer is Finnish, so the translated instructions were a little hard to follow.

I'm hoping to have the vest finished this week!

On a more drool-worthy note ... I have been lusting after the Fiddlehead Mittens (designer: Adrian Bizilia) since they hit Ravelry in 2008. Earlier this year I bought a kit for them that included the pattern and the yarn from Tanis Fiber Arts. While awaiting replies about my Hilja Vest, I cast them on.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the pattern. The yarn is lovely. The colours are lovely. This is super addictive. I've completed one mitten; it's blocked and drying nicely. I'm going to start the lining tonight ... yes, whilst finishing my Hilja Vest [laughing]. Did I mention they are addictive.

Fern Fiddles

A Festival of Lights

2009-12-06T10:57:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I went on a bus tour operated by Take a Break Travel Inc. to the Festival of Lights in Niagara Falls.

What a fantastic tour!

We departed London Mall at 9:15am. Following several pickups throughout London, our bus load of 56 headed off to our first stop! Shopping for 45mins at Coyle's Country Store. What a nice little surprise for us all! I bought a cute little plum pudding, and a few Christmas gifts!

From there we went to Woodstock for lunch at the Truck Stop. This was only a short stop to grab an early bite since we were having an early dinner.

Once fed and watered, we drove off to the next destination - Kittling Ridge Winery & Distillery. This place was awesome! Rich in history and rich in wine and spirits. Kittling Ridge is the only place in Ontario where you can experience the wine-maker's art and the distiller's craft in one visit. Although not a wine drinker, I did sample three delicious beverages at the tasting bar.

First was an exquisite and multi-award winning Icewine & Brandy! Not too sweet, with a lovely blend of brandy - it's mostly used as a dessert wine. I came home with a few gift packs of this!

Second was an Oh Canada Maple Liqueur. Since this is a blend of maple syrup and whiskey, it was not my cuppa tea. It's often used in baking and cooking, mixed with coffee, hot chocolate and egg nog, and brushed on meat after baking.

Last was a Bolivar Coffee Liqueur. This is an all natural liqueur made from deep roasted, freshly ground, South American coffee beans. It's less sweet than other coffee liqueurs, and somewhat like Tia Maria or Kahlua. It's often used in hot chocolate, over ice or any recipe that calls for a coffee liqueur. Delicious mixed with milk or cream and an easy dessert served over ice cream.

On the road again! Our next stop was the Niagara Parks Greenhouse. The greenhouses feature two ponds, a collection of plants from around the globe, and tropical birds flying around. We enjoyed a lovely Christmas Show of poinsettias, cyclamen, azaleas, and Christmas cactii.

Our next stop was Horseshoe Falls. Although very cold, this attraction never disappoints. You could take a hundred photos every day and still never capture the power, the noise or the vastness of the falls.

Dinner in the revolving restaurant in Skylon Tower was included in our tour. What a fabulous view! The restaurant completes one revolution every 1hr. We arrived just before 6pm, so we saw the city "light up". It was simply breathtaking! The food was great too - hot buttered bread and salad for starters, followed by chicken breast with potatoes and green beans. Dessert was a peach melba and that was followed by a lovely cuppa tea.

After dinner it was back on the bus to view the Winter Festival of Lights. There are over three million sparkling lights along a 5km route! Light displays included: Dufferin Islands Displays , Winter Wonderland Displays, Enchantment of Disney® Displays, and Displays in the City.

I made good use of all the bus travel - of course I knitted like a demon! I'm making another pair of felted mittens!

Although there were no more stops on the way home, we did enjoy a classic black and white Christmas movie "It's a Wonderful Life" starring James Stewart, Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore. For those who've never seen it, the basic plot of the story goes like this: an angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would have been like if he never existed.

9:45pm - buss pulls up again at London Mall! Exhausted, but exhillirated, we all shuffle out the bus, thank our driver, Darwin, our host Barb, and head for home!

Christmas is all but Wrapped Up!

2009-11-29T09:30:00.000-05:00

It's not often that I can boast about having my Christmas packages all wrapped up early! But it's a fact. Last week I sent them by airmail hurtling towards their final destinations in Australia. God's speed my little boxes of goody knittedness!

Just because my Aussie Christmas knitting is done, doesn't mean I can rest on my roly poly butt! I still have a little knitting to do for my mother out law ... AND ... can you believe that there are three birthdays around Christmas I have to knit for too? One on Christmas Day, one on Boxing Day, and one just a few days after Christmas.

Since my last post I finished those darn socks for Mum. Excuse the language, but bloody hell! I thought these socks would never end. I used up all but about 30yds of the availalable 437yds! Why is it that the older parents get, the longer they want their socks? The sock style was a pretty generic sock construction, and I improvised the pattern from a cable pattern book.

Gerlinde Cable Socks

Following my sock madness, I needed some project satisfaction, so I cast on my gorgeous cashmere/silk yarn for the Darkside Cowl by Sarah Fama. I had exactly 100yds, and when I cast off, I had exactly 1yd to spare! Weird thing is that you knit it inside out...there is no outside pattern....and that was a little deceptive cos I kept thinking I was making mistakes!

Chocolatey Darkside Cowl

Last week I went with Maria and Barb to Shall We Knit. We'd signed up for a two hour workshop entitled Candle Flame Cowl by Julia Allen. I didn't need to learn how to knit a cowl, but I did need a good road trip and fibre fix! I knit my cowl from left over yarn from the Central Park Hoodie. A very fast knit, easy pattern to remember, and very effective.

Ozmoss Candle Flame Cowl

After I cast off the cowl, I cast on for a pair of Aran Felted Mittens #132 by Shirl the Purl . The pattern is by Cabin Fever and sized for a medium lady's hand . This project was a bit of stash busting of Cascade 220 from all those Ayla back packs I made for my nieces! I followed the pattern fairly closely; just made a few mods for a man sized hand. Final thought: if you don’t like to purl, then I would suggest you probably not knit these mittens. It’s ALL purling except for the cabling. And I don't understand why you would purl the palm with stockinette on the inside....I get it if you garter stitch the palm for thickness......it's a mystery!

Jaran Mittens

Whilst the mittens were drying, I cast on for a vest.....at last! I've been wanting to knit Hilja by Niina Hakkarainen, for quite a while. I dyed the yarn three weeks ago, but the Christmas knitting had to be finished first! Remember the caramello yarn??

I searched books and Ravelry for hours trying to find a simple pattern I could incorporate into this mindless stockinette vest. The difficulty is that this is a fitted vest. The front and back increases and decreases are made six inches in from the sides. This left me with only six inches available in the middle.....which would have been OK if the vest had not been a deep(ish) V neck.

I contemplated a cable on the sides, but the cable would have gone wonky where the knitting joins in the round. I thought about off-setting the cables just an inch in from the sides, but that woulda looked a bit weird!

Then I thought about a celtic symbol cable in the middle of the front, but since the largest vest size was for a 36" bust, I will have absolutely NO wiggle room for a cable that has little to no stretch.

Now I coulda put a cable on the back, but since I'm such a cold fish, it would be covered up most of the time.

So, stockinette simplicity it is:

Hilja Caramello

Now, in between all this vest contemplation, I decided that I loved the Jaran Mittens so much that I want a pair. And then Nick saw the Jaran Mittens drying and told me he wants a pair!

Since he's a Christmas baby, I told him I'd knit him some for his birthday, and that he could choose any colour other than black, dark brown, dark blue or dark green. As much as I love those colours, I do most of my knitting at night in front of the TV, and it's simply too much eye strain for this blind bat. So he suggested silver and dark silver??? What the....?

I went through my stash three times....I just didn't have any worsted weight yarn that was the right colour with the required yardage. So....to the dye pot OzB!!

Here is the yarn for I dyed last night for Nick's mittens. He likes it, and that's all that matters in the end:

Silver Bells

Phew!! I've been busy!