Knitting Alchemy

Update June 4, 2010

2010-06-04T21:33:00.002-06:00

Whew! Spring has skidded by with summer coming down the pipe right after it. Winter decided to make some final surprise appearances, but we all made it through, hardy Canadians that we are.

Still working. Weeks are flying by. So are the months. I blinked once and saw April for a half second. May was even slipperier.

June will be busy as well since Miranda and I are moving into a townhouse in the west end on the 26th. Jess has bought our house and can't wait for dear old mom and pesky little sister to scram. He's got two buddies moving in with him and they're both stoked to get moved in.

Perhaps I'll get around to posting again in the fall...if summer doesn't whiz by at Mach 8!

Prairie Girl Rocked Outta her Seat

2010-02-13T11:24:00.008-07:00

Those opening ceremonies last night were incredible! I particularly appreciated the Prairie Girl performance. AWESOME. As a prairie girl myself, I was happy to see our home honoured.

The death of Georgia athlete, Nodar Kumaritashvili, was remembered at the start of the games. So sad for his family, friends, Olympic team-mates, and country. The people of the world will hold him in their hearts as the games progress.

I kept waiting for Leonard Cohen to appear...waiting...hoping...and right after the proclamation to open the games, when I thought the entertainment was over, up comes KD Lang belting out "Hallelujah." I was blown away! Not a song I'd pick for that particular moment in the ceremonies, but I was so, so glad Cohen was honoured and presented in that way. And who better to sing that anthem? Who better to represent the freedom, choice, and open-heart of this country. I was rocked outta my seat.

Then, the Olympic flag carriers appeared: Donald Sutherland (Love him!), Betty Fox (Terry's mom), Bobby Orr (Love, Love him!!), Anne Murray, Jacques Villeneuve, gold medal figure skater Barbara Ann Scott (first Canadian figure skater to win gold [1948]), Roméo Dallaire (Shake Hands With the Devil author), and Julie Payette (Canadian Astronaut).

It all made me so very proud to be a Canadian Prairie Girl.

So Far So Good!

2010-02-11T20:35:00.004-07:00

Job's going well. Tomorrow'll be my 4th day. I'm almost through the new-job-jitters, and feeling better.

Yesterday my best brother in the whole world had a heart attack, but he too is doing well, thank goodness.

Here's another pic from Ireland...I think. Could be Isle of Man. Three hour tour anyone???

Looking forward to the long weekend!

Finally...Somewhere...Somewhere Awesome!

2010-02-05T16:58:00.009-07:00

Today, my "nowhere" turned into a whole lotta really cool "Somewhere." I was offered a position with a firm in Edmonton to do technical writing and instructional design, which I happily accepted. I start Tuesday.

So the blog posts may get few and far between again, at least until I get my sea legs on the job.

Fire in the Soul

2010-02-03T10:56:00.004-07:00

I was catching up with a friend last night and telling him all about my job hunting activities, and we got to discussing job postings. Most of them leave you feeling like they're looking for super man/woman, and feeble little you would never measure up. But we decided that if you have the skills we were blessed to gain in our academic pursuits, and you have a strong work ethic and integrity, then the fire in your soul is all that's necessary. That's what all those Herculean traits add up to in the grand scheme of things--soul fire.

Think about your job right now or any you've had in the past. Were there any super men/women working there? Did anyone measure up to all the attributes most employers advertise they're looking for? Do any of the employers match up? I highly doubt it. Most of us are just normal human beings doing the best we can on any given day.

Can anyone ask for more than that?

Hurry Up and Wait

2010-02-02T16:35:00.008-07:00

It's been another busy day. Amazing how busy you can be when you're NOT working. My efforts yesterday to build a profile on Monster.ca paid off. This morning I awoke to an email alert from Monster about a job opportunity that required my skill set, so I sent off a resume. Haven't had a chance to do more job hunting today cause I got busy with a pattern edit and other things.

Got a call on a possible short-term temp job yesterday, but the recruiter needed to touch base with the client for more particulars about the contract before I decide on it. Haven't heard back from her yet. There's a whole lotta that with job hunting. Hurry up and wait...

Walked the terrorist again this afternoon. Here she is with that sweet little face of hers.

Last night we had both dogs loose in the house with their muzzles on. They were fine. Not interested in each other at all. We'll do some more of that tonight, and try to expand on it every day. Myzee's more likely to get crazy if there's excitement going on like someone coming home, or Jenny coming in from a walk and doing her tremendously-excited-to-see-us

routine. There she is below. She's SUCH a good dog. When I walk her I have to keep looking down to see if she's still with me cause she stays right beside me and puts absolutely no tension on the leash. I never have any doubt with Myzee on the other hand; she pulls like there's no tomorrow. Actually she's getting slightly better.

Myzee's a good dog too, she's just wound a little tighter than most, but she's learning to relax as we perfect the alpha training. I can't say enough about how good this alpha training works. I wish I'd found it as soon as we got Myzee two years ago. Her issues began long before we got her, but we could have started out stronger with her and wouldn't have exaggerated her problems with our inexperience.

Do you have pets? Are they crazy or pretty laid back?

Busy Day

2010-02-01T15:24:00.013-07:00

Busy day, but it seems I don't have much to show for it...I did send out three resumes, which takes up a lot of time getting the cover letter just right and such. Seems like I'm getting nowhere, but if just one of 'em lands me a job, it's somewhere!

I also got some groceries, developed a profile and resume on Monster.ca, and walked my little terrorist, so not all bad.

This weekend I was able to sort out my DVD/VCR so I can watch movies in my room. HEAVEN! I also ravaged my file cabinet so now we can actually file things without too much trouble. I shredded six bags worth of paper if that tells you anything.

I decided to try knitting without using my left hand much. It proves to be a huge challenge, but I have to do something with yarn in my hands or I might start killing people. So far I've rigged up a carpal tunnel wrist brace on my left wrist, which I set the needle in to hold it. Then I hold my fingers on that hand straight out so they don't go into the pinching position usually needed to hold the left needle. I've discovered that fingers have their own ideas, and I have to focus quite intensely to overcome their urge to hold the needle. I'm hoping this will alleviate the tennis elbow. So far it's working ok and it's giving me the zen-like calm that I crave so bad.

I polished up a piece I wrote on The Old Stone House, which is owned and operated by our alpaca ranch owners. They've restored an old house which was built in the 1930's to its original splendour and now are offering it as a wedding site, business day retreat center, and tea house. It's absolutely gorgeous and oozes history and character. The piece I wrote will be published in a local paper in the next few weeks.

Here's what I like to call an alpaca sandwich. That's my Harley in the middle doing what he loves best - eating!

Friday

2010-01-29T11:30:00.012-07:00

Well, this morning I've meditated, eaten breakfast, and applied for jobs online. I'm ready for bed now...

Not really. I didn't get much movie watching done last night. Not sure why. Just wasn't in the mood, I guess. So today, after I scrub some walls and walk a dog or two, I'm going to declare this a movie day and watch all three of the movies I took out of the library the other day. I'll even have some popcorn (sounds wonderful, but those who know me know popcorn's kind of an addiction these days).

My friend Denise suggested I check out a book called The Lost Garden, by Helen Humphreys, and it looks so good I can hardly wait for it to arrive at my library. I have a feeling this'll be one of those ones I don't put down until the end.

Speaking of AWESOME books, a friend's brother, Wes Funk, wrote a first novel titled Dead Rock Stars. I was so connected to the main character that within 20 pages my deep sorrow that the book was going to end began. The novel is a short and fast read, and Funk was chosen as one of the top five new Saskatchewan authors of the year. I can't wait to read more from this insightful author.

What are you reading?

Libraries Rock

2010-01-28T09:17:00.005-07:00

Well, today, I hope my day will fall out like this: Send a resume or two, run an errand or two, and then start mudding nail holes around here. Maybe later I'll get some fleece cleaning done while I watch a movie or some TV.

I went to the library last night to pick up a movie I had requested (The Ice Harvest starring John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, and Oliver Platt). It was an adaptation of a Scott Phillips novel with Richard Russo writing the screenplay. Another in my Russo research. I wound up going home with two more DVDs (Cool Hand Luke, The Devil Wears Prada), and a couple of books. Couldn't resist another Paul Newman flick. And its the one where the image I posted yesterday originated.

Libraries really do rock. I've decided I'm not buying anymore books or magazines. They just pile up and pile up, and I really don't have the space to store them. I usually only read 'em once, and my impending move will be so much easier if I don't have so much clutter to haul. So my local library is really there for me. They'll bring in anything as long as it's available at a library somewhere in Alberta. Who could ask for more?

What's on your agenda today?

2010

2010-01-27T08:20:00.007-07:00

Well, Happy New Year to all. What does 2010 have in store for you? For me? 2010 is a HUGE transition year. Once I get through it all, life will contain some peace again. It's exciting and scary all at the same time. Kinda like falling into a lava-spewing volcano...more scary than exciting most days.

I'm between contracts so a lot of my energy is going to securing a permanent job, or even a juicy contract job, although those are few and far between these days. I've been doing some small jobs and some knitting editing, which is a wonderful challenge.

Yesterday I bagged up all the knitting that was decorating my living room, cause when you can't knit, it just makes you sad to see it all. I've been nursing tennis elbow and even knitting one row causes severe pain. I'm going to try to rest it for at least two months. Also, I'm gearing up to sell my house and move to the city this spring or summer, so I'm sure I'll be busy. Lots of painting and fixing to do. Doesn't hurt to get the yarn out of harm's way.

It's winter here in Alberta. We've had quite a bit of snow this year, but not so much since Christmas. The picture above was taken on one of my walks nearby. The setting sun was doing its darndest to shine as long as possible before it disappeared below view.

Since knitting is out, I've been doing more reading. I've come across the writing of Richard Russo, and I'm reading everything of his I can get my hands on. He won a Pulitzer prize for his Empire Falls, which he also wrote the teleplay for. I saw the movie and fell in love with the story and the telling.

It was Paul Newman's last film, and also starred Joanne Woodward, Helen Hunt, Ed Harris, Philip Seymour-Hoffman, Aidan Quinn, and Dennis Farina. The cast alone is worth a watch. Anything with Newman in it is worth the watch.

Baby!

2009-08-06T09:50:00.003-06:00

This is my new little male alpaca who was born yesterday afternoon. Mom and baby are doing fine. Not sure what his name is yet, but should have that sorted out in a day or two.

Holidays!

2009-07-17T20:10:00.001-06:00

Three weeks of naps, knitting, naps, knitting...did I mention the naps....and the knitting?

Pics

2009-06-16T19:03:00.002-06:00

As promised...pictures of my hot water bottle in progress. This one's for our riding coach. I'll do another like this one for my 'paca Mommy, and then maybe one for me. Seen here with some of my deck plants. I really do have two black thumbs, but so far this year the flowers are thriving. (it's early yet...)

Nothing Too Fiddly

2009-06-11T06:32:00.004-06:00

Last night I went to my daughter's last band concert of the year. As usual, the music was staggeringly beautiful. There are 70 or 80 kids in the high school concert band playing every kind of instrument under the sun. The high school kids played "Robin Hood Soundtrack Highlights," "When the Saints Go Marching In," and "Instant Concert," which was a medley of many interesting songs. The junior high kids bands played beautifully as well.

I, of course, was knitting the whole evening, working on a hot water bottle cover I'm knitting out of Cascade 220. The pattern is free on Ravelry. I'll do some pics this evening.

An older woman was seated beside me in her walker chair. At one point during the evening, she tapped me on the shoulder to ask me, "where did you learn to knit like that?" She was referring to the two circular needles I was using. I explained I learned this technique at a knitting store, and that it was just like using 4 dpns. She nodded with great knitterly wisdom, and then told me how much she loved knitting, but that her eyes wouldn't allow her to read the patterns any more. This nearly broke my heart. Here's a woman who definitely gets the addiction that is knitting. It's crack for her too. And this one thing that would bring her joy in her final years has been taken away. So, I got her phone number and address and promised I'd blow up some patterns for her on my computer so she can once again knit. When I asked her what she liked to knit she said, "nothing too fiddly; I don't think I have the patience anymore." Gawd...I love her already...

In other news, after the shearing weekend at the alpaca farm I came home with 15 lbs of fleece. So under the weight of all that fleece as well as the fleece from last year and the year before, I started cleaning fleece this week. And I hand carded some of Harley's cria fleece, and I couldn't WAIT to try spinning it...and to my surprise, it spins great! I was thinking it would be sooooo slippery and difficult to spin, but this is going great so far. But the cleaning is going to take until next year's shearing time...Oh, well. It's a relaxing endeavor fondling all that softness.

And, my friend Mo and I went to see Deepak Chopra last week, and we just may have gotten a picture of "Big Daddy" holding the sock. More to come later...

Peeling

2009-05-26T19:29:00.002-06:00

Remember when you were little and your nose would get sunburnt? Remember how much it hurt when you got slammed in the face with a pillow when your nose was sunburnt and peeling? Remember how pink and tender the skin on your nose got after said slamming? Sigh...Growing up with three brothers was really big preparation for the slings and arrows of the real world, don't 'chya think?

And then, there are the dish towel scars...but that'll keep for another day.

Ahh...summer...

Hello Again

2009-05-15T19:29:00.006-06:00

Wow. Give a girl a job outside the home and she drops a few plates. Plates have been smashing all over around here, but it's ok. I've been terribly busy teaching ESL to Filipinos and editing knitting patterns, and I'm loving every minute of both jobs. When I'm not working, I'm knitting or spinning.

I've been knitting Classic Elite's Premiere V-Neck Lace Medallion Tunic,

a gorgeous design from Pam Allen. I loves me a v-neck and I loves me a tank top.

I'm knitting it up in Ella-Rae Silkience in a deep purple (shade 18) which the image above does not show. The pattern has you knit the front and back separate, but I knit the body in the round and split it at the armholes. It's knit bottom up so the body and the front is done, and I'm nearing completion of the back.

I've also been plugging along on the Odd Sock kit I purchased from River City Yarns a few months ago. Can't say I'm crazy about the whole knit two rows of main colour and knit one row of contrast colour. I'd rather just knit with a hand-painted yarn using a plain recipe so my socks can be knit up lickety-split-like. Oh, well. The colours are quite pretty so my plebeian brain is kept happy as I go.

Summer is on its way here in the prairies. We've had spring on life support a few times, including earlier this week, but its back on its feet once more and we're enjoying the sunshine. I hope it's sunny wherever you are.

Time...Where'd it Go??

2009-03-15T18:12:00.010-06:00

Some time has passed since my last post, but life has a way of sweeping you up and before you know it, almost a month has flown by. I've been busy. I started my new contract February 23rd teaching grammar and writing skills to 10 ESL students from the Philippines. My second group starts tomorrow, and I have a third group starting in April. I'm really loving this one. The guys are very friendly, polite, and happy to learn. Nice change from some of the college students I've taught.

I've also been knitting a fair bit. Doing a good job of finishing UFOs: (Click to embiggen.)

Mrs. Beeton's for Miranda, and a couple of pairs of mitts for me. I love knitting mittens.

My first hat, and then my first Fair Isle. Turned out better than I thought it would.

My first hot water bottle cover. That's King Cole DK wool. Had to fiddle with the pattern, but it's sooooo cozy when it's full of hot water.

Today, after a 4 week absence, I finally got out to see my alpacas. This is Harley. Looks like I hit his sweet spot, but looks can be SO deceiving. I was trying to scratch his chin, but he wanted no part of that. Doug just caught the moment before he bolted outta there. He's my best friend... until the pellets run out!

Today was his close-up day, and he didn't disappoint.

Hmmmm...maybe if I hide behind this guy, no one'll see me....yeah...that's it...

We also got a few shots of Kalamara. She's so sweet. Still a bit timid, but she's much better than when we first got her.

I just finished the Mock Cable socks in the hand painted yarn from Barb at WildGeese Fibres. As soon as I redo the toe graphs, I'll take some pictures. My Kitchener stitch leaves a lot to be desired. I prefer a toe chimney graph.

I've started a his and hers sock kit I bought at River City Yarns. The kits were sitting by the cash register...and the colours were calling me...deep reds, blues, and greens. Like I've said before, I'm drawn in by the colour, and overtaken by the softness. Not sure how it happened...really...they just wound up in my basket. And I'm still chugging along on Chase's sweater. I also started Agatha, but I hit a snag on row 8 or so, and haven't had a chance to sort it out yet. All in good time, all in good time.

Shawl Pics

2009-02-22T00:48:00.000-07:00

1978

2009-01-29T07:25:00.002-07:00

I just read Rick Mercer's latest blog post. In it he tells that "a billion seconds ago it was 1978." Wow. That's a crazy amount of seconds and a crazy mountain of time. He refers to how much our current government is planning to squander, er...I mean spend. And he uses the billion seconds to show us the enormity of what a billion is. We love Rick...he tells it like it is.

Hmmm...I wonder if I've knit a billion stitches yet?

New and Different Mac

2009-01-21T21:46:00.004-07:00

Today I bought a MacBook Air. Now this is largely different from our other Mac. This one's pretty in a different way. And so much more schleppable; it only weighs 3 lbs, and it's not measured in 4 inch increments. I think I'll call her MiniMac. Now that I've gotten through the wireless Internet snarlies, things are good.

One day soon...very soon, I'll have knitterly pictures and news. I've been working on Mrs. Beetons', a hotwater bottle cover, EZ Mitered Mittens, a Doodlebug sweater for toddler Chase, and I bought a skein of Lucy Neatby's Cat's Pajamas in the Fiesta colourway (80% Merino, 10% Cashmere, and 10% Nylon). The colours remind me of the vibrant colours seen on Macaw parrots: intense blues, reds, yellows, and greens. This yarn is meant for socks but I'm going to knit up her Sea Lettuce scarf with it.

The Snowdrop shawl is still kind of in a time out. It hasn't really misbehaved; I just need some distance from it for a bit...what with the mohair and all.

I bought Elizabeth Lovick's Fair Isle Workbook. It came highly recommended from Barb of Wild Geese Fibres. Check out some of the hand painted yarn Barb sells, and her patterns are lovely.

To quote Elizabeth's site, "It [the workbook] is arranged in separate ‘lessons’ on the theory and practice of Fair Isle knitting, including detailed instructions with lots of clear photos of topics such as ways to hold the yarns, steeking and dealing with mistakes." I told Barb I was preparing to make the Snowbird mittens, and she sent me the book link. I'll update as I progress with the mittens.

Now, back to my downloading...

Winds

2009-01-20T18:28:00.003-07:00

Winds of change are blowing. Barack Obama was inaugurated today in the cool sunshine of Washington, DC. It was an auspicious and moving event. I cried when Aretha Franklin sang "Let Freedom Ring," and I cried again when Obama said: 'This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath."

There is a song by the legendary Canadian rock band Rush, titled "Closer to the Heart," (Words by Neil Peart and Peter Talbot, Music by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson) that with Obama's inauguration, may be moving from the abstract to something tangible and concrete. The song starts with the line: "And the men who hold high places must be the ones to start, to forge a new reality closer to the heart." Obama is the one who I believe could do this, and lead the world in a new approach to people, and governments, and how the world works. I watch with new hope for all of us.

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T13:25:00.002-07:00

Well, our new year was swept in on a cold front. It was -34 when I got up this morning. Now it's a balmy -28. Great weather for staying in and knitting. I've been knitting and spinning up a storm. I finished the first pair of Mrs. Beeton's, am almost finished the shawl, finished the hat, and I spun up 100 gms of hunter green corriedale, which is lovely and soft.

I hope to finish the shawl today. Pictures of that soon...I hope.

Holidays

2008-12-28T11:29:00.008-07:00

I'm hoping you're all having peaceful and warm holidays; I sure am. The heat wave we're experiencing right now sure beats the Siberian nightmare we've been in the last couple of weeks. Although there's something to be said for surviving -38 with a wind chill of -1,000,000,000. We Albertans are a tough breed if nothing else.

My husband decided on the 23rd that we should forget about time and just relax and get things done in as leisurely a fashion as they could be. This is an entirely new stance for him and it shows his growth this year. Me and my ADD brain rejoiced in this idea. We got done what had to get done and had a great time doing it. On Christmas Eve, we got a visit in with a special knitterly friend of mine. That was awesome and I hope we can make it an annual tradition.

I've made great head-way with the shawl; I got through the edge of the first side, through the point (with a great deal of phone advice from the aforementioned knitterly friend), and am now almost done the second and last edge. I'm a little nervous about whether my edge lace will end where it should when the shawl edge ends. I'm letting the plan for that percolate for a bit.

I've also been moving forward with the Mrs. Beeton's Wrist Warmers. I've got the two bells for the first one almost complete. This is my first beaded project, and I really like how the beads look with the yarn. Perhaps a future shawl will include beads.

(Click to embiggen to see the beads.)

I'm going to visit my alpacas today. I didn't bother when it was so bitter out; I know their fleece is keeping them toasty warm. I hope to do some spinning today. I've been wanting to get at the wheel, but the busy-ness of the last couple of weeks prevented it. I'm spinning some corriedale that is dyed a hunter green (purchased at Pam's Woolly Shop). I'm trying to spin my rovings in the order I purchased them which means it'll be a while before I can get to the lovelies that I bought at Celeigh Woolen Mill. But then again, this wheel spinning is so fast compared to spindle spinning. It may not be so long after all.

Next up are the Snowbird Mitts using this yarn.

When my shawl is done I'm going to start my Agatha. Can't wait for that. The Mission Falls is calling her name.

More about my New Year plans soon.

Dec. 14, 2008

2008-12-14T13:54:00.011-07:00

My knitting of late: I'm putting the edge on my red Snowdrop Shawl. It's lovely, and easy, but soul-suckingly s-l--o---w. When I need a break from it I work on Mrs. Beeton's Victorian wristwarmers. They're going well, but looking humongous right now. I'm hoping they'll be right in the end; could that be the sound of knitter's denial? I'm too deep in it to pull my head out of the sand just yet. Knitterly denial truly runs deep, eh?

I hoped to debut the shawl at Mo's party last night, but I didn't get it finished. Her party was awesome. We had a great time, met lovely people, and enjoyed watching kids, who were ramped to the max with Christmas excitement. We look forward to next year's party. And Mo and Rick did a dance demo; they glid (my new past-tense version of glide) around the floor as if on air. I took ThatLoganChick's advice and used my triangular shawl swatch as a boobage shawl and tucked it in my bra so it would show under a green blouse. Worked great!

Then I hoped to have the shawl finished to wear to Anne's party tonight, but that's not going to happen either, sigh... (Anne is the woman who drove us to Medicine Hat and trailered Mac home. She rocks.) Now I'm hoping to wear it Christmas day. I think I can manage that goal. There it is again...the distinct sound of denial...did 'ya hear it?

I did a stash dive and came up with 100 gms of Welsh-made Prism worsted from Colinette yarns to make the purl arrows hat. It's calling me constantly. And I love it when I can shop in my own stash instead of spending more yarn dollars elsewhere. It's not like I don't support my LYS's. Hell, I should have partial ownership in them by now. I do love my LYS's.

Back to Knitting

2008-12-11T21:31:00.010-07:00

Ok. Enough about horses already. On to more knitterly business.

TA-DA!!!!

My first handspun yarn on my wheel! This is 134 gms of lovely and natural corriedale, spun from roving bought from Marg at Celeigh Woolen Mill near Millet, Alberta. I spun it on my wheel and plied it on ThatLoganChick's Spinolution. Wow, her wheel can ply a load of singles. I'm waiting for this yarn to tell me what it'll be; I think mittens, but I'm not sure yet.

I'm moving forward with the Mrs. Beeton's wrist warmers. Pics to come soon.

I finished the Yellow Harvest Mitts (Vogue Knitting Fall 2008). My daughter is modeling them "Jennipoo" style. Thanks for the help Jennifer (of Nennie Knits). Jennifer gave me some assistance with the chart 1 for this pattern, as she had completed a pair already. We sat together at the Make One Knitting Retreat Pajama Party, where a good time was had by all.

Why are the cuffs so long you ask? Because I mistakenly knit 3 repeats of the cuff instead of 2. All the warmer I say. I'm loving making mittens. Jennifer introduced me to the Snowbird mittens, also in Vogue Knitting Fall 2008, so those are the latest mittens I'm gaga over. Really Jennifer, I'll stop copying everything you knit...really...

Miranda played in her high school band's Christmas concert this evening. This concert band and the jazz and stage bands at this school are absolutely amazing. They win top honours in every competition they participate in. In September the stage and jazz bands were invited to compete in an international music festival in Grimma, Germany. They were the only high school bands competing with adult bands from many countries around the world. They kicked butt as they always do. Miranda is in the concert band. I videoed one of their numbers tonight, but Blogger is not cooperating with me trying to add it to this post, and I'm not geeky enough to have it do my bidding. Yet. Stay tuned...

More Mac and Cheese

2008-12-05T21:58:00.002-07:00

Mac is settling in to his new home nicely. He's learning where his place is in the pecking order, but I figure eventually, since he's the biggest guy out there, he'll do allright. I thought I'd post this first picture to show how he's taller at the shoulder than my daughter is at her full height. And he's only 2...he could grow for a while yet. I call him my Steady Eddie, because he's so relaxed and easy going. And he's got a sharp and willing mind.

Bringing Mac Home

2008-12-02T07:22:00.009-07:00

Miranda and I spent the last two days in a truck traveling to Medicine Hat and back to fetch our big boy Mac. We were driven there by our friend Ann, and Miranda's coach, Diane. Ann kindly offered her truck and trailer to go get him. It was so kind of her and we had a great time with them both. Mac really didn't want to get in the trailer, but eventually he got over himself and walked in. He traveled fairly well for a two-year-old. He's been in trailers before, but not this trailer which had all new scents.

He's so laid back; when we got to our barn, he strolled out like an old pro and took to the new place easily. We're off to check on him this morning. We had such horrible winds yesterday, and we were worried about leaving him outside in the dark in such gales, but he's got a thick winter coat and where he's from he experienced lots of wind.

I got some good knitting done on the trip. I was able to get past the first chart on the yellow harvest mittens.

They're turning out quite narrow so they'll probably go to Mary up in Inuvik.

The pattern is lovely, so I may try to make a bigger pair for me when these are done.

Mary is leaving today, which makes us all really sad. She'll be in a semi-truck with her dad for the five-day trip back to Inuvik, which includes traversing the Dempster highway and its ice road. It sounds scary, but he's a seasoned truck driver and they've traveled this road many times.

We got the chance this visit for me to teach her how to knit. She's a bright girl and she learned quite quickly. She's taking home some needles and some practice yarn in a few colours. What better hobby than knitting in Inuvik in the winter. I hope it will get her through the truly dark days of winter.

Fantastic Mojo

2008-11-29T11:48:00.004-07:00

Finally, Mary's lovely scarf is finished. (Click on either photo to embiggen.) I did a major dance of joy last night when I bound off that last stitch. My family thought I'd really lost it for a moment or two. Now Mary can take it home with her when she leaves next week, and I can move on to other lovely things that have been calling me for so long now... like my new SPINNING WHEEL!

Casting Off Bad Mojo

2008-11-24T02:57:00.010-07:00

More and more in my life, I see things in terms of their energy value. When I say energy I mean emotional energy. Things contain energy; some good and some bad. Today, I decided this theory must apply to all things, including all things knitterly.

I've been struggling to finish a scarf that was chosen by a special friend, Mary, for whom I'm knitting it. Last July, I took her to the LYS so she could pick out the yarn herself that I would wrangle into this beautiful scarf from Victorian Lace Today. If you haven't seen this book, check it out. I bought it on first sight. Anyway, the scarf has a border at one end that is knit vertically, then a long middle that is knit horizontally, and then a knit-on border on the other end that is knit vertically and incorporated into the main scarf stitches. Somehow, the knit-on border was eluding me. I ripped it back at least eight times, with lots of time outs in between. I wanted to have the scarf complete for September as Mary lives in Inuvik, and the school she attends there is not heated well; the students have to wear their jackets all day to keep warm. Now it's November, the scarf's still not done, and Mary's back for another visit.

My frustration with the knit-on border has gotten out of hand. It seemed like each time I tried to move forward was just another exercise in angst. So today, I ripped it back again, but this time I cut out the yarn that had been knit eight times. It's full of bad energy that makes my stomach hurt just thinking about it. And guess what? I've gone further with the knit-on border today than in all the eight attempts.

I cut that yarn out because I want only Good Mojo in this scarf. I want Mary to take it home and benefit from the positive energy and thoughts that went into making it, not the frustration and desperation that inhabited those few inches of repeated struggle.

I have to say, the trouble wasn't with the pattern at all; rather, it was in my tired brain trying to work a complicated chart too late in the day or on a day when my mind was frazzled with the pace and stress of life. I'm devoting the next few days to completing the scarf and blocking it so it's ready to go home with Mary. And I'll continue contemplating and enjoying the peace that comes when you get rid of bad mojo.

Mac

2008-11-15T16:34:00.006-07:00

This is Mac. His show name is My Secret Smoker. We love that name. Soon to be our 2-yr-old gelding thoroughbred/quarter horse appendix, as long as he passes the vet check. Did I tell you he's huge! And he could grow until he's 5! But he's extremely laid back.

He's very pretty and we all fell in love with his gentle giant spirit.

It was a long trip. We left Edmonton at 1:30 yesterday afternoon and didn't arrive at the stable where Mac was waiting until 7:30. Then it was a long trek back home, which wasn't too bad until we were about 30 minutes south of Leduc and it started raining...freezing rain. We got home at 3:30 am, tired, but happy.

I got to start the second Alpaca Cashmere Tweed mitten on the drive down, but I realized about 2 inches up the hand from the cuff that I was knitting a SECOND right hand mitt. sigh... And then the sun went down, so there wasn't any more travel knitting happening. So, tonight I'll be ripping that back and proceeding for a LEFT mitten. We live. We learn.

16. 2

2008-11-14T08:48:00.007-07:00

That's the height of the horse we're going to look at today. At the withers. That's 5'5" at the shoulder. And he's only 2; he could grow some yet. My daughter wants to use this big sod buster to jump. She's not 5'5" yet. She'll need a big step to get on him. I'll need a big tranquilizer to watch.

The good news is he's in Medicine Hat, so I'll have 4 hours each way to knit. I'm working on a second pair of mittens with the Estelle Alpaca Cashmere Tweed.

I'm following the suggestion of wiser women (Cynthia from RCY and the Yarn Harlot) and wrapping my working yarn around a third finger to tighten up my tension. It's working beautifully, but perhaps a bit too well; it seems so much more difficult to move the stitches. Could be that I just need to get used to it. Tight knitting is so foreign. I'm a little worried about some of the UFOs that linger around me. To shamelessly plageurize the Yarn Harlot for a moment, I'll have to revert back to my "drunk howler monkey on smack" knitting method to complete those. (She so gets us, doesn't she?)

I'll also bring the Yellow Harvest mittens that I've been battling. They appeared in the Fall 08 issue of Vogue Knitting. The first chart for this mitten contains challenging elements that have so far gotten the best of me. But I soldier on! And I'll probably bring the front of the Juliaca sweater. If I can get the cabled rib at the bottom completed then I can blindly knit miles and miles of 2x2 rib. Since there'll be 4 of us in 1 vehicle, anything too complicated would be folly.

More pictures soon...

Retreat

2008-11-11T09:50:00.017-07:00

Wow...Four amazing days of learning, laughing, and knitterly love. The setting was incredible, the weather balmy, the people enthusiastic and friendly. As I knit Miranda's green mittens, knitter after knitter stopped by to compliment them. On Saturday I wore my Kilcar sweater and a number of knitters asked me if it was from the latest magazine (not sure which one). They all fondled the fibre of it and said they loved it. A knitter just can't get enough of that kind of encouragement. And we all knit anytime we weren't otherwise occupied. So cool to be part of a knitterly invasion. There were knitters knitting everywhere. Maureen, my good friend and room-mate, was working on her Frankenscarf, and everyone was rightly impressed. Mo, send me a pic of that scarf so I can post it here.

Also on Saturday, I succumbed to the yarn fumes which were unusually thick, and bought Amy Swenson's book Sensual Crochet, and five skeins of lusciousness. There should be a law against that kind of enabling. Also modeled with the yarn is the zen garden I bought.

The instructors for the retreat were awe-inspiring: the Yarn Harlot, Cookie A, Nancy Bush, Stefanie Japel, and Amy Singer. We all wished we could squeeze in a workshop with all of them. As it was, we got one all-day workshop on Friday and two half-day workshops on Saturday. I was in Cookie A.'s sock design workshop on Friday. When I complete my sock that I designed, I'll post pics. Hopefully, that won't be in 2020. Saturday morning I was with the Yarn Harlot where she answered our knitting questions with great wit and wisdom. I love her philosophies and the way she plies them with feminism. In the afternoon I was in Stefanie Japel's "Converting Flat Patterns to Circular" workshop. This was a class I was highly interested in because I LOVE knitting in the round. Stefanie was an awesome and encouraging instructor and I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for a good flat sweater pattern to convert. I wish all patterns were in the round. I thoroughly enjoyed all my classes and learned sooooo much. You really leave these classes with information overload.

Saturday night we had a pajama party in a large room at the back of a fairly posh, and extremely busy restaurant. It was a little intimidating walking through there in flannel pajama pants. I got some random shots of the instructors. In the first picture is Amy Singer of Knitty.com and No Sheep for You. Beside her is Amy Swenson in the pink tiger-striped pjs, owner of Make 1 Yarns in Calgary and the woman who put on the whole shin-dig. Stephanie Pearl McPhee is next chatting with a knitter in pink pj's. The next pic is of Stefanie Japel. She brought her little baby daughter, who smiled almost continuously.

In this next shot, Nancy Bush is sitting with Cookie A.

I completed Miranda's green mitts at the pajama party, and then I got some advice and assistance from the lovely and talented Jennifer, who finished her pair of Vogue Knitting Yellow Harvest mittens. I've been trying to knit the same mittens, but was stymied by the first chart. The girl to her right was her room-mate Alysa, who besides being an accomplished knitter, had some really cool tatoos and piercings. Miranda will be soooo jealous. Not until you're 18 young lady!

Miranda's mitts are made with a novelty yarn for the cuffs and then the rest of the mitt is Estelle Alpaca Cashmere Tweed. Dreamy soft, and since I double stranded the mitten part, they should be super warm. Miranda has asked for an idiot string, so I'll crochet that for her today. Like her mother, if her head wasn't screwed on, she'd lose it.

Jennifer made her mitts with leftover Cascade from her Tilted Duster sweater which was so pretty.

On Sunday morning, a few of us were chatting with Nancy Bush and she mentioned she'd like to go for a walk. Mo was sleeping in, and we had planned on doing this walk sometime that morning, so I asked Nancy if she'd wait while I ran upstairs to my room to fetch my coat. She was happy to have a hiking partner so I bolted up to our room, praying all the way that Mo was up. I burst through the door and into the room where, thank God, Mo was awake and dressed. Mo was in Nancy's Estonian Lace workshop and really enjoyed it.

"OMG! Thank God you're awake! I'm going for a walk with Nancy Bush---Get your coat on, quick!"

So, we both went for a hike with Nancy Bush. Soooo cool. Here's a few shots from our walk. First, there's Nancy admiring the majesty of it all.

And there was lots to admire. It was such a lovely day!

The only down side to this trip was that our other ya-ya sisters weren't there sharing it with us. Start saving Sistas! We're not doing this without you next year.

Alpaca Show

2008-11-03T11:37:00.008-07:00

I showed Harley, my 2-yr-old alpaca on Friday. It was my first time in any show ring and his first time being shown. He didn't plant all four feet and refuse to move like I was afraid he would...well, he did once, but the judge shooshed him along. What he did do, however, was fidget like a whirling dervish the whole time. The judge commented that he had a lovely handle but his confirmation wasn't so strong. I don't have a clue how he could tell that because Harley didn't stand still long enough for him to notice confirmation. We came in third in a class of three but look who we were competing against:

The first is a rose grey, who looks like he should be in the brown class, don't you think? Actually underneath that lovely brown colour is an even lovelier grey colour--a very sought-after combination. And the second is a white with a slight fawn spot on his shoulder. How can they judge Harley against these opposite colours? I think they should have had their own categories. It would be nice to see how Harley does against a group of actual fancy greys. Perhaps next time...

The big news of the day was that Doug was Shanghai'd into showing one of Carolyne's boys, and he and the boy, Canon, took first place! Carolyne and her boy took second. All of Carolyne's animals placed, so she was pleased.

The show ran for two days. Friday night they had the banquet and auction sale. We stayed for both and had a great time. I had fallen in love with an alpaca mom and baby that were for sale but they went for almost $8000.00. My pockets just aren't that deep. The baby was black with white socks and little black feet. Adorable!

This baby's mom was showing some signs of distress, but it didn't stop her from being sold for quite a sum. It was my first auction, and the auctioneer and his men were interesting to listen to and watch. I don't know how he doesn't just spit his tongue right out when the bids are flying out of his mouth so fast. What a talent.

A few animals were pulled from the sale because they didn't raise enough bids. Apparently the alpaca market was not safe from the unstable financial markets of late. One of these pulled animals was Kalamara, who is a bay black with her two front feet having socks and black shoes like the baby pictured above. We've been looking for a dark coloured girl to breed with Harley. We both fell in love with her and on Saturday we bought her. She's pregnant and due at the end of July next year. SO exciting! She was bred to Tucker, a lovely fawn male who has super dense and fine fleece. Combined with her fine fleece, the cria should be stunning. And because his lines were full of greys and colours, who knows what colour the baby will be?

I bought some yarn while I was there.
The solid beige is for the Cookie A workshop I'm in at the knitting retreat, and the dyed skein was just so gorgeous I had to take it home. It was hand dyed by Alice. (Can't think of her last name or alpaca farm name, but she sure knows how to dye. I have her card somewhere but right now it eludes me.) These are both 60% alpaca, 20% merino, and 20% nylon. Should make lovely, sturdy socks.

Doug and I met many wonderful new friends at the show, and we look forward to the next alpaca show where we can see them all again.

Now that the show is over, and Kalamara is settled in her new home at Saumer Time Alpaca Ranch where Harley lives, I can move my focus to the knitting retreat I'm leaving for on Thursday. I haven't had a second to get excited yet, so I think I'll take a moment right now and do that...........................................................................................Ok. Now I'm stoked!

Wow, I have so much to do: packing, deciding on what materials to bring, shopping for new jammies and yoga pants, deciding what knitting I should take with me, etc., etc., etc. Stay tuned for retreat details and pictures next week.

As per usual, click all pictures to enbiggen!

Banff

2008-10-21T08:16:00.008-06:00

Banff was glorious. Those mountains are so compelling, so strong, so awe-inspiring. I believe they are strong spirits that uplift us.

When we got there on Friday, we each had a 60-minute massage. I'd never had a massage before nor had my husband. We both floated out of there with I-can-hardly-walk-I'm-so-relaxed demeanors. Great way to start a weekend getaway.

We dined at Murrieta's Bar and Grill in Canmore. GREAT food, GREAT service. I had trout that was to die for and hubby had seafood risotto. I followed it up with warm chocolate cake...mmm...mere words can't describe the level of delicious...

Saturday we shopped in Banff till we dropped. Lunch was another culinary delight at the Elk & Oarsman Pub and Grill. I had a salmon burger and himself had an elk burger. Mine came with a side of sweet potato fries...need I say more...

I visited the new LYS in Banff, Jen-by-the-Fjord, and met its proprietor Judy. This store is small but fluent in all things knitterly. Judy is a lovely woman who I hope I've convinced to join Ravelry. If you're travelling to Banff, don't miss it. It's in the Charles Reid Mall on main street.

Sunday we drove home through Lake Louise.

Breathtaking. And there was snow on the ground up there. I was glad to have my new Juniper scarf around my neck. The air was brisk but the sun on the lake and the surrounding mountains cast a celestial hue. People come a long way to view this spectacular lake. Some don't get the perfect conditions that we had. A cousin from Ontario wanted to see this lake all her life, and when she finally got there, to her dismay, it was frozen.

Yes, the water is really that blue.

As we were heading back to the parking lot, a couple of Whiskey Jacks cavorted in the pine trees for our entertainment. (Click all to embiggen.)

It was all lovely...can't wait to do it again. Oh yeah...I'm going to Kananaskis to Make 1 Yarn's Fall Fibre Retreat in a couple weeks. Life's good...

Hat for Jackson

2008-10-04T22:04:00.004-06:00

This is a hat for our great-nephew Jackson who was born in July. Yep, it's still a bit big, but apparently he's got a big head, and eventually he'll grow into it if it doesn't fit him now. And it's stretched over a large snow globe. The pattern is "Sprout" by Cheryl Niamath. We love her. The wool is Naturally Sensation- 70% Merino, 30% Angora, 10 ply. It's dreamy soft.

Hope his Mommy likes it...

Live Your Light

2008-09-10T12:21:00.004-06:00

Went to the Santana concert last night.

Honestly, we were in a gigantic living room (Rexall Place) and there were these absolute geniuses jamming to beat hell, and we were all jumping... in pure bliss.

His genius with a guitar is a religious experience in itself, but his message of Light and Kindness speaks loudly to me: You are the Light. We are connected by the Light. There is only Fear and Love in this world, and the Fear is expensive. Just ask President Bush...

On the back of the tour program he states:

"One day there will be no borders, no boundaries, no flags and no countries, and the only passport will be ones heart."

I am the Light. And so are you...

Goings On

2008-09-05T09:22:00.008-06:00

Yesterday I finished a quick crochet project.

It's meant to be a dishcloth, but it's altogether too lovely to mar it with dirty dishes, so it's been elevated to hot plate status. I needed a quick success. I'm in the middle of most of my other projects and the end of them seems to lie in the very distant future.

My Hibiscus for Hope socks are looking beautiful but I keep having to frog the heel. Honestly, I've ripped it out six times. It'll be worn out long before I ever get it on my foot. Ah well, that's why I bought lots of the yarn. In the meantime I do love the feel of the corn fibre in my hands.

The Victorian scarf is over 3/4's done. I hope to finish it in the next week or so. I went on a yarn crawl this week and bought some lovelies:

This is the Misti Alpaca colourway that the Yarn Harlot is using. Saw it on her blog and HAD to have it.

Araucania Sock yarn, 75% wool, 25% nylon. Should hold up a good long time.

This is Manos Wool Clasica that I'll make into mittens. Should be warm and cozy.

This is a Mrs. Beeton's Wrist W armer kit that I bought last week. The two bottom skeins are the original kit. While I was at River City Yarns last week I picked up a copy of Curvy Knits, and fell in love with the Miracle Lace Insert Pullover. I chose the deep purple colourway of Miracle which is 50% alpaca and 50% tencel. They didn't have enough skeins in the store so I just bought one to play with while they order me more of it. Since the dye lots aren't the same, I thought I'd add the skein to my kit and buy more kid silk for a second wrist warmer set.

And finally, I bought four skeins of Drops Alpaca to make a Swallowtail Shawl, someday...when I've grown a few more arms, and all my current projects are complete, and the planets are aligned just so with the stars...

Ya-Ya

2008-08-21T20:08:00.009-06:00

Today I had a weekly gathering of phenomenal women at my house. I can't say enough how these women support and lift me. They are three intelligent, warm, caring, hilarious, creative creatures that I am so thankful crossed paths with me some months ago. Thank you Ravelry!!! There are a couple others that don't get to join us every week, but they fit in the phenomenal category too.

We don't waste our time trashing others. We agree on most things, but when we don't, it's ok. We can have healthy, intelligent debate, and it's always served on a plate of "what can we learn from this," garnished with "oh, the pretty!," and served up with a side of hilarity, and a heaping bowl of "well, allright then" for dessert.

We agree that we are not a group, nor do we have meetings. I think we need a new word, or perhaps an old word used in a new and provocative way to define what we are. "Support" can be called "advocate," "favor," "back," or "champion." We applaud, approve, endorse, pull for, adopt, embrace, defend, and sustain each other.

Being sister-less all my life, I've always envied women who had sisters. I've had many friends that made up for it, but I've never been involved in a group like this that meshed so quickly.

Since we're all beautiful, intelligent women, could we be called a bevy? How about a covey, a company, a kindle, an intrigue, a charm, a pride, or a wisdom? I like "a wisdom." It says what we bring to and what we gain from getting together. I also like "an intrigue." It makes us sound so brilliant and clever and deep.

"Sisterhood" works too. God knows we have all the "Ya-Ya" anyone could possibly have.

Whatever it is, and whatever we call it, I love it and I can't wait for next week!

New Word for the Day: Jacquarded/Knitters for Knockers

2008-08-20T08:29:00.007-06:00

I had to be in the city yesterday for a meeting, so I took the opportunity to visit River City Yarns downtown. My friend Penny had shown me some Misti Alpaca sock yarn that had me bewitched, and I wanted to go check out the other colours available. Her skein seemed to have every colour in the rainbow painted on it, and she chose it to match with other sock yarn remnants that she uses to make her Frankensocks. I LOVE her Frankensocks; they're multi-coloured, and the striping never matches which agrees with my non-conformist side. This yarn was similar to the Fabel I had used to make my turquoise socks, and I loved how that yarn jacquarded. (That's my new word for today...jacquarded: 1 (verb) past tense; created a jacquard pattern that looks like you mastered some highly intricate knitterly dance with several vivid strands of yarn, but really just plain knit with one strand.)

Anyway, the other colours of the yarn I speak of didn't thrill me so much when I saw them. There were soooo many other rich-coloured yarns that were grabbing my attention by the throat. So I had me a good long session of yarn-fondling. Somehow, during my fondling stroll, a skein of Trekking XXL (great jacquardability!) and a Mrs. Beeton's Wrist Warmer kit found their way into my hands, so they came home with me, along with the Fall issue of Interweave Knits magazine. My new purchases are sitting by my computer right now where I can gaze lovingly at their beauty off and on through my day.

I'm still working the heel of the Hibiscus. I had to frog the half-finished heel in order to sort myself out on short row stocking stitch heel construction. Now I'm back to half-way through the heel and I hope to get past the heel and back to working up the leg today. Isn't the pattern gorgeous! If you haven't already done so, please go to MezzoDiva's blog and donate to her worthy cause, Knitters for Knockers. I was honoured to guest author her blog last week while she prepares for her 60K walk in September to raise money for breast cancer research, so scroll down and check it out.

Mary's scarf has progressed also; I'm almost half-way through the middle part.

The shawl is still on the back burner for now. I've started adding the border. And I've done a few more rows on the back piece of the Juliaca sweater, just past the armhole bind offs. But that one is a loooooong term project. Miles and miles and miles of really boring road--I mean 2x2 ribbing!

Dog Days and Knitters for Knockers

2008-08-05T18:38:00.000-06:00

Well, I've had a perfectly lovely summer day. I got to go to my son's girlfriend's house to pick saskatoons and
raspberries. They have a saskatoon grove and about 1/2 an acre of raspberry patch. For those who aren't familiar with saskatoons, they're similar to blueberries, but they grow on trees rather than on low bushes, and they're more purple than blue. They have similar health benefits of blueberries. There is some kind of Zen to berry picking...especially on a warm summer day, with a light breeze and the bees buzzing lazily nearby.

Then I got to sit at the river and knit on the Victorian lace scarf I'm making for Mary, our daughter who lives in Inuvik.

I wore my river shoes so I was able to wade in to above my knees to cool off when the sun got too hot. Heaven! The water is clear and warm. I was dying to dive in but I didn't have my bathing-suit on and I didn't want to drive home in wet clothes. Tomorrow, I swim. We in the Great White North need to enjoy the hell 'outta these nice summer days.

With that in mind, I stopped for an ice-cream cone on the way home from the river and it was divine. All-in-all, it was a glorious day. I have work coming soon, so I have to enjoy the days off that I have now; I may not get many after the middle of August.

Sunday, I finished the Turquoise Fabel socks. YaaaY!!!

Now I can start on the Hibiscus for Hope socks. This is the pattern that Knitters for Knockers is promoting this year. If you make a donation to Ramona Carmelly's Weekend to End Breast Cancer walk, you get this gorgeous sock pattern that is based on the notes and charts of a pattern developed by my friend ThatLoganChick. It's a great cause and Ramona's a great champion for her heroic efforts. You can also find a link in Ravelry on Ramona's (MezzoDiva) page.

I also blocked a sample of my snowdrop shawl to see how well it would hold a block and to see what a garter stitch/faggot edge looked like for the actual shawl. I think it looks great, and I'm ready to bind off the top edge of the shawl. Then I'll pickup and knit the border on the two sides. I cannot wait to finish this one. The really great patterns seem to take sooooo long, don't they?

Meet Smudge

2008-07-12T17:32:00.000-06:00

Last Sunday I went off the deep end...in love with a kitten, who I couldn't leave behind at the alpaca farm. Could you have?

Here's another pic...

And another...

My dog is not cooperating. She wants to eat Smudge. We may not be able to make this work. If not Smudge will go back to living at the farm where we'll visit her every week. And we'll be very sad. But I can't have my dog in an atmosphere that impacts her mental health. She's crazy enough already. Think positive thoughts.

In the meantime, I'm making good progress on the Snowdrop Shawl; I'm 2/3's of the way done, and I can't WAIT to finish. I'm so in love with it I'm going to wear it every day. It's the colour. I'm really loving the colours I'm working with lately: the deep sensuous red of the Snowdrop, the intense teal of the baby llama for the Juliaca, and the vivid forest green of the corriedale I'm spinning.

I also continue to add measurable distance on my Fabel sock. And on the Juliaca sweater. And my spinning is coming along too. It seems like the green corriedale is never-ending (sigh), but I am making some headway there. I seem to be keeping up with the spin, although my single is not perfectly consistent yet, but I'm sure that'll come. I'm having a problem with string breakage, dang it all. Not sure what'll cure that, except more practice. I want to get through the corriedale before I attempt the Harley fleece, and the Harley fleece is calling me. Not sure how much longer I can ignore it. And I should be receiving Harley's cria fleece (his first shearing) soon. No pressure. Really.

Ghosties in the Needles and Cosmos Shifts

2008-07-05T10:44:00.000-06:00

I've been working on the Snowdrop Shawl and it's coming along nicely. I'm managing to overpower the mohair most of the time. Right now I've got about five snowdrops on each side of the center column. In this last pattern set of rows, something odd's been occurring...I do the pattern row which increases the stitch count by 2 stitches. Then I count the stitches to be sure I have an odd number of stitches. When I'm satisfied the count is correct, I work the mostly purl row where there are no increases or decreases. But when I count again...I've got an EVEN number of stitches!!! [cue Psycho shower scene music] This happened about 4 times in a row yesterday. What the... How do you go from an odd number to an even number without increasing?!?!? Of course, all this uncertainty leads to OCD stitch counting....just to make sure I haven't counted wrong...the last 40 times I counted this row...

I'm pleased to say though, that each time, I took a deep breath and investigated the cause of the off-numbered rows. And each time, I was able to correct it without too much stitch OR hair pulling. After those 4 errant rows, things have gone better. Not sure if the ghosties are in the needles, the wool, my fingers, or my head, but I seem to have run 'em off.

I completed the first of the Fabel socks. Now I'm just starting the second. Socks are my travel knitting, so these puppies haven't seen a lot of action lately.

My family was recently hit by a nasty flu and we're all just rolling out of our death beds, shocked and glad to still be on this side of the daisies, pinching ourselves to be sure. Yesterday, in our infirmity, my daughter and I watched an Alfred Hitchcock marathon. It was great to relax and enjoy time with her again. She's 15 and Mom really doesn't rate most of the time. And...there must have been a shift in the Cosmos somewhere...a mighty shift...she wanted to knit too. What a gift.

Knitterly Confidence

2008-06-13T12:13:00.000-06:00

Ever wonder if you should have any? I'm wondering lately. I've been knitting for almost 40 years, and steadily like a crack addict for the last five, but I've had a few patterns lately that have me absolutely stymied. And I'm starting to wonder if it's me...

I frogged a sock recently that I had knit to the mid-heel level. I don't want to mention the designer or where I got the pattern, but it was a full-scale battle throughout. Each new phase of the pattern was a new area I had to plow through, learning new techniques (which is always good) but having to also learn how in hell I'm supposed to accomplish it. After five such wars, I gave up. But I didn't give up easily. I hung in there longer than most knitters would have. There was a trail of blue curses behind each row it seemed. Finally, somewhat in shame, I gave up. I didn't want to give up...I wanted to win the battles...

Then I started a cotton baby sweater for our little Chase. The pattern is by Debbie Bliss and is called "Sweater with Ribbed Yoke." You can look at it in Ravelry. It calls for straight needles but since the sweater is stocking stitch to the arm holes, I thought I'd do it on a circular. The going was a bit rough as I started with the ribbing, and it continued to get rougher the further along I went. I finally decided, since I was experiencing my first mobius (without actually meaning to, sigh...) the circular needle was probably too long, so I ripped it out too.

I don't like starting new projects while others linger waiting to be completed, but last weekend I just needed a fresh start on something. Needed a band-aid for the confidence blows I was suffering. I've had some Fabel by GarnStudio laying around calling my name, so I heeded its call and started a plain-jane pair of socks for myself. Those are going fine. I put a short row garter stitch heel in the first one and this sock appears to be the best fitted sock I've ever made myself.

Nice fit, eh?

Last night I started my first shawl. I've had some Estelle Watercolour in a sensual deep red that has also been screaming for me.

I'm knitting it into Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Snowdrop shawl. This yarn has a good halo (50% mohair) and a pretty sheen that catches the light beautifully. Unfortunately, the mohair halo makes ripping stitches highly unpleasant so I'll have to just knit on it when I'm at my knitting best, not at night when my brain and fingers have had enough for the day.

I'm also teaching myself to crochet. It's going pretty good. I have a good grasp of single crochet.

So, my to-do list is growing daily: four or five projects on the go, spinning practice, crochet practice, day job, kids, husband, house, dog (NEVER in that order).

I'm feeling much better about my flagging confidence. Nothing like getting it off your chest, AND the joy of new knitting to make you forget...

Catch Up

2008-06-09T21:10:00.000-06:00

Whew!! Another week or two blew by! My intention when I started this blog was to blog daily. I guess it's true...the road to hell IS paved with good intentions. Life has a way of getting in the way of things, and there's always the knitting...

Anyway, I've been doing a bit of knitting and a bit of spinning... Below is the finished Kilcar sweater. That's the Donegal Tweed that I bought in Donegal last spring. Just showing the back because it's the only shot so far that I can live with.

Ok, here's one from the front...

You don't need to embiggen...I've embiggened myself enough already! Honestly, I'm thrilled that I gave up the smokes, but this weight gain is AWFUL!!! I hate that I can't get a handle on it. I guess I need to get off my own case about it. It's not forever or the most important thing in life.

Next...

This is a plain stockinette stitch sock. The yarn is Fabel by Garnstudio. A knitting group friend showed it to us about a month ago and I fell in love. This is handpainted 70% superwash wool and 25% nylon. And the colours just line up like that. Looks like I did some fancy schmancy stitch-work, but I didn't. THIS is why I love knitting! After froggin some really frustrating projects, this is just what I needed. Easy-peasy and looks phenomenal. And, the price is really reasonable.

Also...

I've done a bit more work on the Juliaca. This is going to be a slow one. Sweaters take soooo long, and the miles of rib are a little daunting, but this is such gorgeous yarn. Satisfies the senses: sight - the colour is amazing- in the light you see blues and teals and greens; touch: this is baby llama-the softest yarn I've felt yet (Harley's may give this a run in the softness dept.). And the drape!

Harley's getting more used to me every time I see him. He's actually letting me hug him without moving away. I'm beginning to see why he's the favourite around there...

And finally...

This is 100 gm of Shetland wool that I spun. Not sure if it's supposed to twist like that, but I hope it's because it's a highly twisted single...kind of like me...highly twisted. It's hanging on an antique highchair that my mom sat in when she was a baby, and then my brothers and I sat in it as babies, and our kids sat in it as babies. I don't have a lot of heirlooms, so I really treasure the ones I have. You should've seen the battle I had with hubby when I decided it had to come home with me rather than get sold at a garage sale. He didn't realize the sentimental value at the time. It was one of those "Oh, NO it's NOT!" "Oh, YES it IS!" battles that ends nose to nose in a deadlock, and then with me loading the chair in the car...

Anyway, I've also been spinning this:

This is corriedale in a deep green. And it's on my new Forrester spindle. That spindle jumped me from producing lumpy bumpy chunky weight to semi-smooth lace weight. And I've almost got the spinning figured out. I can spin for a short while without parking... I plan to ply the two yarns and make some thick warm socks... pics later. Maybe way later...this corriedale goes on forever!

My daughter was in a play last week. She flexed her acting muscles, and sang some solo parts, and my heart burst wide open...

That's her on the left. She played a 12-yr old boy whose life's broken by abuse, addiction, and pain. In this scene he's hiding in a closet with his little sister so their alcoholic mother's abusive boyfriend won't hurt them. These kids did an amazing job.

And my little dog...

She cracks me up on a daily basis. Yesterday I let her in from outside where it was raining pretty good. She stopped as soon as she got in the door and looked up at me with a "well woman, ...are you gonna wipe my feet, or what?" look on her face...

I've Been Memed!

2008-05-27T21:04:00.000-06:00

My friend Deb-Va memed me (not sure if "meme" is a verb, but what the hell), so I'm going to play the game:

"The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer."

1) What was I doing 10 years ago? Working part time at a Roger's Video store in Calgary, and operating a sewing company where I made lovely coats for dogs. Also riding herd on my 9-yr-old son and 5-yr-old daughter.

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today? Sit and knit group meeting, check out LYS Wool Revival, spin, spin, and spin.

3) Snacks I enjoy: chips, chocolates, cake, ice cream.

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire: Share it out with family and friends, donate to women's charities, travel.

5) Places I have lived: Cochin, Saskatchewan; St. Albert, Edmonton, Elk Point, Fort Kent, and Calgary, Alberta; Fort Erie, Ontario.

6) Jobs I have had: secretary; video store clerk, technical writer, instructional designer, editor, writer, tech editor.

7) Bloggers I am tagging who you will enjoy getting to know better:

Kare
Denise
Maureen
Deb
Barb

Harley

2008-05-18T09:11:00.000-06:00

Last weekend I REEEEEALY fell down the rabbit hole, and bought an alpaca. His name is Harley, and he's a magnificent specimen.

Why'd I buy an alpaca, you ask? Well, I'll get five pounds of beautiful alpaca fibre off him every year, he's an intact male just coming into breeding age so I can make some money with his stud services, and he's really cheap to keep. His board is $45.00 a month, and that covers food, shots, worming, and feet care. And if those reasons weren't enough, he's freakin adorable!

When I say I fell down the rabbit hole, I should really clarify...I was pushed...by my husband...He was almost more excited about the deal than I was. He wanted to buy two so we could start producing baby alpacas right away. Once I convinced him we should slow down a tad, he stepped back and let me pick my alpaca. There was no picking involved. I lost my heart (my head's been gone for years) as soon as I saw Harley. He was the first one I saw up close where I could touch and pet him. And when Carolyne, the ranch owner, said those magic words "he's for sale" I was gone, man, gone.

So, Sunday afternoons will be devoted to Harley visits. I can't wait to see him today. Tomorrow my knitting group is taking a road trip out to meet him too. That's gonna be so much fun ladies!

So, I've got to step up the learning curve on the spinning. I've been prepping my second bag of Shetland roving. Lord, there's a lot of veg matter in this stuff. Veg matter is straw, sticks, dirt, and we-don't-want-to-know-what-else in the fibre that you want to remove or it'll make the yarn really scratchy. Yesterday afternoon was spent pulling straw out of this roving. Today, I'll actually get to draft and spin it up. I think I may have discovered a clue as to the drafting. I'm pretty sure I was over-pre-drafting before. Now I'm not pre-drafting as much so I have some room to draft as I spin.

I want to hurry up and finish the Shetland roving so I can start spinning the blue and green roving I bought a few weeks ago. And I'll be receiving Harley's first shearing soon. I'm told though, by my fibre Goddess friends, that I'll have to really get the hang of spinning wool before I try spinning alpaca fibre. Alpaca lacks the barbs that wool fibres have, so it has a slippery factor that makes spinning a whole new experience. This lack of barbs, as well as the lack of lanolin, makes alpaca fibre non-allergenic. That's really good news for my friend Anne, who will no doubt be one of my early victims...I mean recipients of something made from Harley's fleece.

I've also been working on sewing up the Kilcar sweater. I have the shoulder, side seams, and collar sewn up. I'm trying to have it done to wear to a baby shower tomorrow night. I should have final pictures ready in a day or two.

I'm also working on the Juliaca sweater. This baby llama wool (Mirasol Miski) is so dreamy and soft, I could knit with it all day long. It's knitting up fairly fast and easy, although I have miles and miles of 2x2 rib to do.

"Hurry up and finish" seems to be the story of my life lately, at least as far as knitting goes. I have soooo many projects waiting. Gorgeous projects that demand all my powers of control not to jump into right now. Can you say "startitis"??? sigh...

Shepherd's Pie

2008-05-14T07:56:00.000-06:00

I've had some interest in the shepherd's pie recipe. I found it in All Recipes.com. Note that this version serves 12. There is a drop down menu where you can change the number of servings. We usually use the 12 serving version because (a) it's sooo good you won't be able to stop at one serving, and (b) we're feeding 2 teenagers. If you use the 12 serving one, you'll need two baking dishes to bake it in. I've never put 4 onions in mine; usually I use 1 or 2 onions. I use ground beef rather than ground sirloin, although the sirloin would be yummy too. Anyway, try this out. We usually have it on St. Patrick's Day, which is the anniversary of the day my husband and I met.

Mother's Day

2008-05-12T11:25:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was Mother's Day, and I had a wonderful time. Doug, Jesse, Jalessa, Miranda, and my Dad and I went to visit an alpaca ranch near Onoway, Alberta. It was a beautiful day and we got to pet, walk, and fondle all the alpacas we wanted. These small camelids are so funny looking they're cute and you just fall in love with them all. They also had yarn and knitted items for sale in the sale barn. It was great to share the day with my kids, Jesse's girlfriend, Doug, and my Dad.

And fun being around these gentle creatures, and meeting other alpaca lovers. Afterward, my husband made our world famous shepherd's pie (cream cheese...cheddar cheese...mashed potatoes....mmmmm!). A girl can't ask for a better day than that.

But, Mother's Day is always bittersweet for me because I lost my mom 23 years ago. We had our usual distant years that come with any mother/teen daughter relationship, and were just starting to be friends again when she passed away. Her last two years were hellish thanks to cancer, so our time together then was tainted with her pain.

So yesterday, it was nice having my dad with me. With Herculean effort, he's managed to stand in for her on many occasions...helping me untangle wool, being a model for garments I was sewing, canning fish with me, counseling me when my kids were sick or when life was hairy, and more, much more. Lately he's gone through a tough time ending a relationship that wasn't healthy for him, so I keep him close in my thoughts and literally close to minimize his aloneness. Thank goodness he lives in St. Albert and I'm able to see him often.

I have been gifted again with a book edit contract that I hope to start this week or next. It's very exciting. Over the weekend I was able to finish the secret project and get a few rows knitted on my Juliaca sweater.

Saturday, a friend and I drove down to Olds, Alberta, to attend the Hand Weavers, Spinners, Dyers of Alberta conference and merchant market. She drove and I rode shotgun. I should have knitted, but we were too busy yacking our faces off and enjoying the scenery as it went by. It was great to finally meet Barb, the woman I've been editing patterns for, and to see more of her lovely products. And, she introduced us to Marg from Celeigh Woolen Mill in Millet, and Fenn from Custom Woolen Mill in Carstairs: two incredible women in Alberta's fibre industry. I bought some lovely wool from Barb and 4, count 'em 4, knitting books by Elizabeth Zimmerman. I've been wanting them for a looooong time, so it's great to have them in my hot little hands. Rebecca and I had a blast on the trip and are planning another trip to Olds for Fibre Week in July. We'll bring more enablers with us this time. We may need to rent a bus!

Books, haul from Barb at Olds (gorgeous!), baby sized thrummed mitts that I bought at the alpaca ranch.

BUSY!

2008-05-02T16:53:00.001-06:00

It's been a while since I got close to this blog thing... Been busy... I was gifted with a bunch of patterns to format for a brilliant designer in Cold Lake, Alberta. And I'm having a blast. Feeds the detail-obsessed side of me. And it's the direction I want to take my editing career.

I've squeezed in some knitting too.

These are the last pieces of the Kilcar sweater, all blocked and ready to sew up. Not sure if you can see the button bands (click the picture to embiggen) (Yay! I got to say "embiggen"), but they were a new challenge. I did the first buttonhole band, and wound up with a lovely buttonhole band that was about 1/3 too short, and the holes were at the bottom instead of the top. Brilliant. So, after frogging that, I spoke to one of my sit-and-knit friends and she advised a better way to do button bands. The redo's turned out gorgeous!

And since I'm almost ready to sew up the Kilcar, I've gotta have another sweater going. So this is the start of the Juliaca sweater from Mirasol Book One. It's made from Mirasol's lovely and ever-so-soft baby llama wool. It's sheer joy to have in my hands. I had to frog this ribbed band once, and I didn't mind one little bit. Notice the cables. They end in the band, but appear again at the cuffs and on the collar.

This is the start of the Leafling sock from STR Sock Club. Since my next kit should be showing up any day, I thought maybe I should get this one started. If only there were more hours in a day...

This is a secret project I can't talk about yet. Details later... But I like how it looks like raspberries in a row. Very tricky to achieve...Not sure if I want to commit to the ornery stitch pattern. Maybe I need to do a few more rows to be sure...

And this is the Crystal Palace Maizy yarn that came in the mail for me today. It's made from corn silk and it's lovely. Some day they'll be a couple pairs of socks.

Anyway, the editing continues. I'm off to Olds next weekend to attend the HWSDA (Hand Weavers, Spinners, and Dyers of Alberta) conference.

Hopefully I'll blog at least once more before then... :)

Dreaming of Donegal

2008-04-19T10:29:00.000-06:00

Last year at this time my man, my kids, and I had just returned to Dublin from a two-day trip to the Isle of Man and were starting a seven-day bus tour of the southern half of Ireland. Both places stole our hearts and we'd all love to go back. We'd live there if we could. The yellow bush is Gorse and it grows everywhere in the Isle of Man and Ireland. It's so pretty against all that green, but it's nasty stuff up close: full of large thorns. There were lambs everywhere.

As I approach the end of the Kilcar sweater, and as I gaze out at the X#@%!!*#$! snow outside, sigh, I'm especially nostalgic for Donegal, Ireland. This is the view from the window of the bed and breakfast we stayed in there.

That's Lough Eske and the Bluestack Mountains. This bed and breakfast is called "Ardeeven" and by some freaky magic of a loving Universe, out of a book advertising thousands of Irish b&bs, I picked one that's owned by Sean and Mary, who also own a lovely little wool shop in Donegal. This was the first real lys (local yarn store) I encountered in Ireland, and I went crazy buying up all the wool I could possibly cram in my suitcases and then a few kilos more for good measure, sending my husband into apoplexy, and causing my children to wonder if, now, for sure, Mom had lost it. This is where the deep purple Donegal Tweed found me and pushed me over the wool-buying edge.

I wistfully daydream of owning that little yarn shop. My husband could run the online store and I could spend my days in the shop, buying and selling wool and roving, chatting with the locals, spinning and knitting when I was able. The kids could run the shop every other weekend while hubby and I tour the island on our motorcycle, seeking ever more yarn stores and wool mills. After closing the shop at 6:00 every day we'd all hoist a pint of Guinness in a nearby pub...

Ah, well, daydreams are wonderful little escapes, aren't they? On these snowy days in April, who can help daydreaming of lovelier places and warmer climes. This is a great day for staying in and playing with sticks and strings. Maybe I'll finish the Kilcar today...

Pics

2008-04-14T12:58:00.000-06:00

The Internet was down on Sunday night when I was trying to upload these photos. The first is the haul that I bought at Pam's Woolly on Saturday. The second is the test swatch that I knit and blocked in preparation for knitting the Agatha Shawl.

Pam’s Woolly Revisited

2008-04-13T18:08:00.000-06:00

Some of us Edmonton Ravelers road-tripped again yesterday at Pam's Woolly in Stony Plain. We went to Boston Pizza for lunch and then to the store to drool and inhale the yarn fumes. Some of us inhaled deeply. I bought more practice roving, some in a deep green and some in a purply blue.

I also settled on some Patons Classic Wool Merino to knit an Agatha Shawl. Agatha was designed by our own ThatLoganChick. It's so beautiful, it swayed me into trying shawls on for size. The designer's Agatha was knit with Shibui Knits Merino DK, but that was a bit precious for my bank account. (My credit card's on life support.) So I lucked out with the Patons. It was only 6.99 a ball and I only need 3 balls. If I love the pattern (like there's a chance I wouldn't?) I'll knit it again on some more glam yarn.

Spinning

2008-04-10T21:26:00.001-06:00

I'm spinning! The pre-drafting is very relaxing and it's easy on my hands. The spinning is fun and a great challenge. I can't wait to have enough wool spun to put on my swift and then into a center-pull ball. This is my spindle.

Here's a few shots of me spinning. My 15-yr-old daughter took these. She's got a creative streak that shows in her angles.

This is the final product.

I hope to make a warm scarf.

The Road to a Friend's is Never Longer Than When You Have to Pee

2008-04-07T18:28:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, we drove to Andrew, Alberta to take our friend Tamara home. She's been staying with us for a couple of weeks while her class went to Europe over spring break. It was lovely having her but we couldn't keep her forever. The trip takes about an hour-and-a-half each way and I can't travel more than an hour before I have to stop somewhere to pee. We were planning a stop at our favourite store in Mundare but it was closed. It was open Good Friday but it's closed on Sundays...go figure. Anyway, everything on Mundare's main street was closed so we headed back to the open road toward the Village of Andrew. I wasn't sure I'd make it, but what's a girl to do in rural Alberta. There's a gas station in Mundare, but I avoid those whenever possible. Some of the things I've seen in small town gas station bathrooms have scarred me for life. So we're back in the country, passing a farmhouse here, a field of cows there, a buffalo herd way back there, but no sign of a village anywhere. With every little hill we climbed I waited to see Andrew just over the rise. Minutes dragged like decades as we traversed little hill after little hill, and still no sign of Andrew. I was knitting up a storm to distract myself but even that loses effectiveness after a certain point.

Finally, after forever, the Village appeared and we made our way to Tamara's house where I was able to use her washroom. Whew, is all I can say.

On the drive I was able to knit a few inches of sleeve for the Kilcar sweater. All I have left to do is this sleeve and the collar. Sweaters take sooooo long, especially when you break up the monotony with eighty other projects.

On Saturday, I went on a Ravelry excursion to Pam's Woolly Shoppe in Stony Plain. It was great fun fondling wool and meeting other Ravelers in person. While I was there, I was shown how to spin using a top whorl spindle. I'm in love! Just not sure when I'm going to squeeze spinning into my already full schedule. I stuck to my yarn diet like a good girl but I came home with a spindle and some practice roving. In my defense, the restraint I showed in not buying the lace weight Malibrigo was tremendous and taxing so the purchase of a tiny little spindle was highly understandable.

Accomplishment at Last!

2008-04-04T08:18:00.000-06:00

I finally finished the Serendipity socks.

They're lovely and were great fun to knit. I like the pattern; it was neither too hard nor too easy. And I learned new things such as a new kind of toe, and a new kind of toe finish. The short row heel wasn't completely new, but I was reminded again how easy it is to make holes at the sides of the heels. Then I learned how to patch such holes when the sock was complete. I hope that on my next short row heel, I'll remember what to do to avoid the holes in the first place. I love the way the heels and toes make a bulls-eye pattern with the striping.

On another note, I followed the advice of a couple of fellow Ravelers on how not to have "row out" in your stocking stitch fabric. Rowing out is caused by imbalance in the tension of your knit and purl stitches. One is tighter or looser than the other which shows in a distinct horizontal line across the fabric. In my case I purl waaaay too loosely. You can see these horizontal lines in the baby cardigan I frogged a couple of days ago.

In order to fix this, I made a swatch where I knit only into the back of my knit stitches and I reversed the direction of the throw yarn around the right needle on my purl stitches. I can see how this method tightens up the fabric: my stitches were getting so tight that I almost couldn't move them on the needle. For me, tighter is good when attempting to get gauge. But DANG! Too tight stitches are what drove me to abandon knitting when I was 10--the tighter the stitches got the more my little hands sweated and the more my little hands sweated the tighter the stitches got in a never-ending descent into knitterly madness! 10 is waaaay too young for madness of any kind. I was being driven there daily by my little brother.

Anyway, back to the present. With this now too tight swatch, I still had the "rowing out"!!! sigh... I think I'll go back to plan A: use a smaller needle for the purl rows and forget there was ever such a thing as row gauge. Thanks anyway to the Ravelry buddies who offered the solution.

So Much For That!

2008-03-30T19:27:00.000-06:00

Today I frogged the baby cardigan. My loose purl rows were too obvious and then when I changed to 3.5 mm circs for the sleeves and wasn't purling anymore, the purl rows in the body were VERY obvious and the sleeve stitches were noticeably smaller. Damn. When I start it again, I'll abandon the moss stitch in favour of the garter stitch and it should go much quicker.

In the meantime, I'm moving on to the Serendipity sock. That little baby cardy's getting a nice long time out. Fix its little red wagon! I may even start the cotton baby sweater before I go back to this one. When I do go back to this doodlebug sweater, I'll swatch first, trying out new ways to knit without getting loose purl rows. A girl has to do all she can to avoid those ;)

I'll finish the Serendipity heel tonight and then the rest should go pretty quickly.

Time Flies

2008-03-29T17:52:00.000-06:00

Whether you're having fun or not. I can't believe it's the end of March already. 2008's a quarter over. I haven't been super busy. Well, actually, I finished the edit of Alison's book. She's a wonderful writer and friend, and it's been a gift being able to work with her words. I can't wait to celebrate with her when one of her books is published.

I've been knitting quite a bit. I'm still almost half-way through the second Serendipity sock.

That's because I've been keeping my nose-to-the-grindstone on baby Chase's raglan cardigan.

This is Chase having a psychic conversation with his "sister" cow, and simultaneously drooling all over (he's quite a talented little guy). SOOOOOO adorable. You could just eat him up. He loves that jolly-jumper and gets more adept at bouncing in it every day.

I knit this cardigan at the 2-year-old size, but I'm afraid it may fit more like a 3 or 4-year old. Me and my loose knitting, dang it all. The pattern originally calls for garter stitch edging, but I chose to use moss stitch. Following a pattern that instructs garter stitch while trying to remember to moss stitch instead proved quite a challenge. After a few false starts I was off to the races. Now I just have to finish the sleeves.

I bought two more Addi Turbo circs a couple of weeks ago that I'm using for the sleeves. Turns out my lovely friend at the knitting store misread one of the packages so I wound up with two 3.5's -- one 60 cm long and one 80 cm long. She was having trouble reading the fine print I guess. But you know, I really like the longer one. It's much more supple and bendable than the 60 cm one. Suits me to have the lengths a bit off too. Those who know me will totally get that.

The new Rockin Sock club kit arrived this week. I really wanted to get the first pair of STR socks knit before this arrived, but oh well. As soon as I'm done this cardigan, I'll finish the sock. Then I'm going to work some more on the Kilcar sweater. I just have to finish one more sleeve and then block and sew. AND my friend Anne's scarf is suffering with arrested development. Somewhere, I've gotta finish that too. Then, I'll be able to work with the new STR yarn. Pictures later. Maybe waaay later.

Still pursuing tech editing projects. In the next few weeks I should hear from some bigger clients on more writing contracts. Then I'm gonna be bu-sy. So, best to keep at the knitting while the cat's away....

Holes

2008-03-12T07:48:00.000-06:00

I started knitting a sweater for baby Chase. I bought some lovely blue wool about nine months ago to make him the Cardigan for Arwen (as seen in the Winter 2006 issue of Interweave Knits Magazine) adapted for babies by Anny Purls here . Because I knit very loose, I had to go down to skinny needles, and they make it very difficult to achieve the cables that run up the front of this little cardigan. So, I scrapped the idea and waited for other inspiration to land.

Ravelry has tons of patterns so I investigated baby sweaters and found this Doodlebug Sweater pattern. The designer expanded the pattern to allow for many sizes and weights of yarn. Brilliant. So, I started this top-down raglan cardigan on Monday. Yesterday I tinked two rows trying to get a handle on the moss stitch neck. Today I'll be tinking about five rows because somehow, with my M1's I created three random holes. Holes that I can't pass off as my own creative alterations of the pattern, or as my signature flaw that only a really good knitter would see. Dang. Ah well, I'm enjoying having my hands in this soft wool. I'm using the 2-yr size, so I've lots of time for tinking if need be. Chase won't be two for another twenty months or so. Lots of time, lots of time.

The weather here has been positively clement the past week or two. Highs anywhere from +5 to +12 with plenty of sunshine and blue skies. I say this is bonus weather for all of us who endured the weeks of -40 howling wind blizzards earlier this year. While we've been sunbathing here in the West, down East they've been getting hammered big time. Blizzard after blizzard after blizzard. Good thing we Canadians are a tenacious lot. That or deeply stupid...

Doug's Baby

2008-03-08T17:54:00.001-07:00

Today is a monumental day for my husband. After 23 years, he's finally riding a motorcycle again. His last bike, a Yamaha 1100 was stolen a month before our wedding. The insurance money from the theft of the bike went to pay wedding expenses, and he's never gotten over it. So, today he picked up his Honda Shadow.

It's just an old beater that he can ride to work and we can do some day trips with. He took it for an early spin; it's only March 8th, and the back alley is nothing but deeply rutted and melting snow, but he couldn't help himself. I'm going to give him a month or two before I hop on the back. Skills get pretty rusty in 23 years. His and mine.

I'm still feeling flu-ish so I more or less took it easy today. I went along to pick up the bike and return the trailer. Got some good knitting on the multi-directional scarf. Then I subscribed to Audible.com. I want to be able to knit and hear a book at the same time. I downloaded my first title: Elizabeth George's Amelia Peabody Series Book 1, titled Crocodile on the Sandbank. It's really cool, but I'm not sure if I will get enough chances to use it. Can't use it when I'm working; can't use it when anyone else is around, so we'll see. So far I'm liking it. Not sure my chaotic brain can stay focused.

The weather lately has been divine. With the sun beating on our deck, it was almost 20c this afternoon. The actual temp was 5c with lots of sunshine. Looks like more of the same to come. My little dog was basking in the warmth on the deck most of the afternoon. I just hope Mother Nature doesn't have any ugly she's saving for later. This is Alberta. We can easily take a 20-30 degree drop in a day. I think I mentioned my habit of delusion about spring. April can bring 3-foot dumps of snow. Ah, but I mustn't think of it. If I just wish hard enough spring will stay...

I'm Still Here...

2008-03-07T11:01:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while since I blogged. Been down with the plague. Again. Not happy. Also, hubby's changed jobs, and this change is a big one. He's going from 9-5 Mon-Fri in an office with a noose--I mean tie, to working 4-hour evening shifts Mon-Thurs, doing dispatching and line maintenance on airplanes. It's a big adjustment for both of us. I work at home, so we're kind of walking around each other trying to settle in to the new job hours. This is a great change for him; he's been so unhappy for so long in the management job.

I've been working on the Serendipity socks. Got one finished. Love the star toe. I've never done this type of toe before.

The lovely Jalessa models the instep.

This is the short row heel. It sure looks cool with this colourway.

I didn't try to obtain perfect striping with this yarn. I don't mind pooling, and it keeps me interested as the sock goes along. For the second sock I'll try to get the solid stripes. I love different socks. The pattern is quite pretty.

I'm also working on my friend's Christmas scarf.

Holy Multi-directional Scarf Batman!!!

It looks pretty good and the recipient likes it so far.

Yesterday I threw all knitterly schedules out the window and knit a coffee cozy. I just needed a break from the same old. Today it'll be back to the scarf. Blogger seems to be having a problem with me uploading pictures, so there's one missing. Will try to upload it later.

Remembering Aunty

2008-02-22T21:36:00.000-07:00

Today was a tough day. I found out last night that my Aunty Alice passed away this week. The funeral was today, and my Dad and I attended. My husband came too. We have our ups and downs, and lately they've been epic, but at times like these he's my Rock.

Aunty Alice was the only sibling of my Mom. I lost my Mom 23 years ago. She didn't have much family. Aunty Alice was 14 years older than my Mom so they weren't day-to-day close. But they shared great loss. Aunty Alice lost her Dad when she was very young. Their Mom died when my Mom was 14 and Aunty Alice was 28. Their Mom got very ill with cancer when my Mom was around 7. By the time my Mom was 9 her Mom was in a sanitarium where she stayed until her death.

Aunty Alice had 5 children. 2 daughters and 3 sons. The elder daughter was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer at a young age. She was trying to figure out how to tell her parents she was dying when her younger sister was killed in a single vehicle accident. Both left three small children. And shattered my Aunty. She was always an anxious person, but that year left her with anxiety and depression that no medicine could touch.

Yet, you never saw her without a smile, as the picture above can attest. Like my Mom, she had a faith that nothing could budge, she had intelligence, kindness, and light. She was a last female connection to my Mom.

I called her one day a few years ago to chat. I told her I was knitting a scarf out of pink and white variegated yarn. Turns out, she was knitting a scarf out of pink and white variegated yarn too. We had a good chuckle and agreed that "great minds really do think alike."

I have a letter she wrote to my Mom when I was born. In it she tells my Mom how thrilled she is that my Mom finally had a girl. The letter is filled with joy and hope and love. For my Mom and for me. I cherish it. And I'm so glad she was in my life.

Support Your Local Yarn Store (when you can)

2008-02-20T11:31:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking lately about my favourite yarn store. Being on Ravelry, I'm learning all kinds of new methods, browsing many lovely patterns, hearing other knitters' ideas about the best needles, the best stores, the best websites, and so on. But I'm concerned. There are a lot of people ordering their yarns online, often at lower prices than our local stores can afford to offer.

I love my favourite yarn store. The women who work there are more than yarn experts. They're friends, supporters, champions, and more. With all the online buying, how long will we have these stores. I don't want to think about a world without yarn stores.

I myself ordered yarn online once. But it was a specialty fibre that my store didn't carry. Many knitters order online because they don't have the luxury of a yarn store close by. Others order online because of the cost savings. I can't hold it against them. If I were in their shoes, I'd order online too. eBay is probably the most economical place to find yarn. Many knitters fuel their passion as economically as they can using eBay. I don't blame 'em.

I also want to support some of the local online stores. They are the new Mom & Pop stores and they bring unique products to the market. I rally against the big box stores. They're killing our small businesses and removing any semblance of charm or intimacy in our retail interactions.

So, you can see my dilemma. I love my yarn store. I applaud the small online companies. I respect shoppers getting the biggest yarn bang for their bucks. But what will we do when these independents are gone? Will they be gone?

I guess I'm thinking today about the plight of the little guys. I'm going to continue to shop at my favourite store when I can. And I'll order patterns or fibre online when I can.

The House that Yarn Built

2008-02-16T11:59:00.000-07:00

I was cruising around Ravelry the other day and I happened upon a blog by Christy Clark. In it she proposes a wonderful idea: knitters donate the cost of a skein of sock yarn to Brad Pitt's Make it Right movement. It would only take 7800 knitters who donate $20.00 each to provide a new house for someone in Louisiana. She's named this humanitarian project "The House that Yarn Built."

Click on the links above for more information. Don't we all have enough sock yarn? For you non-knitters, don't we all have enough ( fill in the blank)? I'm donating my $20.00. It's the least I can do.

Happy Valentines from Balmy Alberta

2008-02-14T16:29:00.000-07:00

Finally. We finally reached 0 degrees C. It's downright balmy outside. I know 'cause I just walked my little dog. We're both pooped. She's taking some well-deserved TV time on the couch while I write this blog post.

I'm still working on the STR socks. They're fine. Yesterday, I had lunch with my friend and she brought me stuff. In the "Shelley" bag (I love the "Shelley" bag!) was a book she's returning (Dave Barry), a Timmie's shirt (Yeah!),

the yarn she chose for her Christmas present (lovely, but this picture doesn't do it justice, at all.),

AND one of her zucchini cakes! These cakes are so good I actually have seconds, which is something I never do (no really. I don't have much of a sweet-tooth). LOVE HER! And I'm deeply, deeply honoured that she would give me her last one.

Recipe

2008-02-12T07:40:00.000-07:00

Blue socks are done...well, I still have to weave in the ends, but they look great. I'm on to the Serendipity socks from the sock club. The pattern is quite easy, and the first sock is coming along.

I bought more dates yesterday. The matrimonial cake has become somewhat of a habit. For anyone interested, the recipe is as follows (and then I promise, I won't speak of it again.)

Filling

1/2 lb. chopped dates (I use a 283.5 gm tub)
1/2 c. cold water
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
Grated rind of 1/2 an orange
2 Tbsp. orange juice
1 tsp. lemon juice

Cook dates, water, orange rind and sugar in a small saucepan, over a moderate heat until thick and smooth (You may have to add water as this cooks. It usually takes around 30 minutes to cook.) ; remove from fire, add fruit juices, mix well. Cool before spreading.

Matrimonial Cake

1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. butter (I use non-hydrogenated margarine)
1 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 c. coarse oatmeal

Sift flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Rub in butter with tips of fingers. Add sugar and oatmeal. Mix well. Spread 1/2 the crumbs in a greased shallow pan (about 8 x 14 inches). Pat to smooth. Cover with cooled date filling, spreading evenly, then cover with the remaining crumbs. Pat to smooth. Bake at 325F. for 30 to 35 minutes. Increase heat slightly and bake for a few minutes longer, to lightly brown mixture. Cut in squares while hot and allow shortbread to cool in pan.

This recipe is from a Five Roses Flour cookbook from 1957. Some of the best recipes come from these older books. They don't have the nutritional information we're used to seeing, but they do have recipes that taste great.

Dates are highly nutritious. Perhaps their high iron count is the reason I crave this stuff. Unfortunately, the cup of brown sugar isn't good. I may try to reduce that this time. I'll let you know the results.

Time to walk the dog. I'm trying two 30-minute walks instead of one 60-minute walk. We've been in the house for over a week due to the cold weather, so I gotta break us both in again gradually. I've put on weight since I stopped smoking, and I'm counting on walking to take it off again. Lucky me, all of the five or six pounds I've gained landed directly on my stomach. Looks terrible, feels terrible. Can't wait to shed it.

Delicious!

2008-02-02T21:47:00.000-07:00

The matrimonial cake is divine! Forget Mom's recipe; I'm sticking with this one.

The weather here is slowly, very slowly getting warmer. Today we got up to -17. Back down to the -27 overnight. By Wednesday, we should be up to -9. We'll all be out sunbathing! There's nothing more freeing than shedding the winter layers.

Around here none of us can wait for spring. I was in Canuck Tire today and they have all the gardening stuff out. My heart skipped a beat. I so want spring to come. I want it so badly that I delude myself into thinking this is a sure sign of spring, and that it can't be far off. I cling to that delusion with the blind determination of a mole. We might not see an end to the snow until April or May, so spring could be a long way off. Or, we might have spring arrive in March. Do you see how the unknown in that feeds my delusion? And the stupid groundhogs are not to be trusted.

Well, I finally finished the second blue sock for Doug. Unfortunately, it fits waaaay better than the first one, so I'm going to rip out the first one and knit it again. *sigh* With any luck, this one will knit up in three days like it did the first time around. Or...maybe I'm just deluding myself again.

Matrimonial Cake

2008-01-31T20:50:00.000-07:00

Last week I was craving matrimonial cake. My mother used to make it, and it seemed such a nice winter treat. I'm trying to eat somewhat healthier, so I figure the dates and oatmeal are the way to go. Plus, anything with oatmeal in it is a comfort food in my book. I've only made this cake once, many years ago, and I'm not sure what recipe I used. My mom passed 23 years ago, so she's not here to ask. Still hurts. I put most of the grief away, but it's nudged when these questions come up.

Last week I picked up a package of dates and started digging through recipe books. Couldn't find the one my mom used, so I tried another. It just wasn't the same at all. (Of course, we ate it anyway.) So today I'm trying again. Still can't find my mom's recipe, so I'm using one from one of her old cookbooks. I don't think it's her recipe; this one has orange juice, grated orange rind, and lemon juice in the date filling, and I don't remember her using those ingredients.

Man, I wish scent could be transferred online; it smells heavenly in here.

My mother started teaching me caring skills when I was quite small. She would sit me up on the counter and we would make baking soda biscuits. I was so small, my feet didn't hang over the edge of the counter. Good times.

She taught me how to knit when I was about eight. I was underwhelmed. It was awkward and difficult. My hands would sweat and my stitches would get tighter and tighter--so tight I could no longer get the needle tip into them to form a new stitch. I received the stitch knowledge, but not her love of knitting. That caught up to me later...in a big way.

I did, however, inherit her love of good food. She was a marvelous cook because that was what women of her generation were supposed to be. I think sometimes about how different her options were. I'm glad women like her went before me because they had strength and convictions, and future generations stood on that strength and demanded more.

I'm so appreciative that she taught me these skills. I don't bake as much as she did, but I know enough about it to get that good old home-made taste when I want it.

And knitting is in my soul.

So tonight, as soon as that cake cools, I'll put down my knitting, and savour a slice.

Finally!!

2008-01-30T21:12:00.000-07:00

I finally got my STR kit! Post office was open! Yaaaaaay!!!

The colourway is called Dragon Dance and it's GLOR-EE-OUS. Can't wait to start knitting it. Must finish Doug's blue socks first. Looks like I have to redo the first one so it fits as nicely as the second one that is 3/4 complete. I can't have my man walking around with one loose sock and one snug sock. It would just be too, too weird. Maybe if I knit really really fast I can tie into the STR on the weekend :)

Blue Moon

2008-01-29T19:31:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I signed up for Blue Moon Fiber's Rockin' Sock Club, and my excitement about it has been building ever since. Members of the sock club receive a sock kit every second month that includes special yarn developed strictly for the club and a sock pattern created by a popular designer. Neither are available to the general public until the sock club year is over.

I put aside the sock club fee from some money that I received from a small editing contract, and then forgot about it. I got busy with writing and editing contracts. Christmas came and went. But every once in a while, I'd remember and get excited. Each stage of the process since has refueled my interest. At the beginning of January, I got the payment email. I transfered the money to my credit card and paid the fee through PayPal. On January 21st, the first installment was shipped from Scappoose, Oregon, where Blue Moon lives. Last week, I checked the mail on Friday, but there was no sign of it yet.

Today, I had my son check the mail and sure enough, a postal slip had arrived. I threw on my Sorrels, my parka, my mitts, and headed into the minus 30C weather to my car. After I started the car, I tried to unplug the extension cord, but it's one that is nearly impossible to plug in or unplug. *sigh* So I called my son out to unplug it for me, and once he wrenched it apart, I was off.

In this cold, my car becomes a Sherman tank. The tires are frozen so the bottom of the tire remains flat when the tire goes around. With every bump you go over (and the frozen snowy roads are full of 'em) the car lurches and the shocks groan but they don't move at all. It's kind of like riding in Fred Flintstone's car.

I got to the drug store, parked, and sprinted across the parking lot, not breathing (I didn't want my nostrils to freeze up). As I headed up the aisle toward the postal outlet, I felt stirrings of apprehension. The light looked dim over the postal counter. Surely the bulb is burned out I told myself. When I got closer I was relieved to see lights burning brightly in the back. I confidently strode up to the counter and tapped the counter bell for service.

"You want the post office?" I heard from the pharmacy counter behind me.
"Yes. Is it after 7?" (They close the post office at 7:00 p.m.)
"No, our postal employee was unable to make it to work today because of the weather, so we couldn't open the post office, " Dave, the pharmacist and store owner, replied.

Now, it's a good thing I'm not the type to freak out in these situations. Once in a while I get miffed, but in general I'm pretty laid back. I asked if the postal outlet would be open tomorrow and he replied that it would be. Dejected, I returned home without my much anticipated sock kit. *heavy sigh*

I can't be mad at Dave because he went way above and beyond the call of duty for me last spring. It was the Sunday that we were leaving to go to Ireland and I realized that I'd forgotten to pick up the prescriptions I'd phoned in at the other drug store in town. I had to have my meds before I left, but that drug store was closed Sundays. So our Dave, wonderful guy that he is, left the comforts of home on his day off, unlocked the other drug store (it's not open Sundays. And it's not his store), retrieved my prescriptions, and delivered them to his store where I picked them up later on the way to the airport.

Days like that are what make small-town living the best. Unfortunately, the price you pay is a day like today. Good thing they only happen once in a blue moon (pun intended!)

So, I'm curbing my excitement for tonight, and I'll get my first Rockin' Sock Club kit tomorrow. And, if the postal outlet is closed again, I'll have to go postal myself.

Stash Puzzle

2008-01-27T19:28:00.000-07:00

I love knitting sweaters, and when I buy for a sweater, I always buy lots of yarn. Explains the huge stash. What puzzles me is I've run out of wool before I run out of pattern on two occassions. And of course, there was no getting any more. One batch I bought in a Northern Ontario Trading Store on a family holiday; in fact, I bought all the store had of that white buffalo wool in black and two shades of blue. Turns out the mill that produced it closed seven years before I set eyes on it. I had the back and one-and-a-half fronts done before I realized the wool wasn’t going to make it. The second sweater was made from a ribbon silk. When I ran out of that (two years after I bought it) not even the manufacturer could scare up a few balls of it.

A more recent buy also fell short. My husband admired some thick German wool at River City Yarns and I jumped at the chance to knit him some socks. He's been adamantly against me knitting him socks; he felt they wouldn't stay up well, and would never measure up to store-bought socks (The arrogance!). I purchased an extra ball of the wool, and a larger ball of Phildar Preface for extra durability, and dove in. I ran out of the Preface about 2/3s of the way through the second sock. I had gone back to the store once already to buy more of the wool (there may be a problem with my math skills here), but I wasn't confident they would have any more of the nylon blend. My concerns were well-founded when no store in the entire city had any of it, and I couldn't find it online either. So his socks are unique in that one toe is a few shades lighter than the other. But, he loves 'em anyway. Every day after work he peels out of his shirt and noose, jumps into his old comfy sweats and slides on the socks. He says they're home to him. Does it get any sweeter than that?

Sunsets and Diets and Sanity Oh My!

2008-01-26T17:54:00.000-07:00

I just returned from an hour walk with my little dog Myzee, where we got to see a gorgeous sunset. I'm not naturally an active person, but I just quit smoking and put an extra ten pounds on an already full figure. So rather than sending one of my kids to exercise the dog, I'm breaking my sedentary lifestyle and taking her myself. And a sunset like today's makes the walk so worthwhile. As I was walking, I got to marveling about my stash.

Like many of you, I have an enormous stash of yarn waiting to be knit. I can't figure out why because, for the last two years, I've had myself on a strict yarn diet. Well...I guess I have strayed a time or two...but…it couldn’t be helped. I took a trip last spring to Ireland and the Isle of Man. Can anyone blame me for ferreting yarn like a heat seeking missile? To my dismay, with a bazillion sheep and a staggering number of lambs, there are few yarn stores there. So, when I got to Donegal, in North West Ireland, and found a yarn shop (Wool'n'Things) that sold tons of actual wool from a nearby mill, I bought like a woman possessed. The picture below shows the Donegal Aran Tweed that I bought a kilo of and am currently knitting using Debbie Bliss' Kilcar pattern.

There have been other times that I indulged, but again, I was not in my right mind at the time. No-one can fault me for buying a sweater's worth of Mirasol Miski last year. When the skeins AND sweaters were passed around at the Jane Ellison Knit-Along at River City Yarns last fall, I fell hard for this baby llama wool. One look and I was smitten; one touch and I was overcome.

So, as anyone can clearly see, when I fall off the diet and buy, I can't be held responsible. Must have something to do with the separation of me and my mind when I'm standing in front of a rack of softness. My eye is caught by the colour; my diet is abandoned with the feel.

I guess there's only one thing to be learned here....diets SUCK!

Knitting and Meditation

2008-01-21T13:11:00.000-07:00

Many knitters enjoy the Zen of knitting: working stitch after stitch, sometimes counting, perhaps whispering a little prayer with each one, enjoying the peaceful rhythm and the sensuousness of the fibre. This weekend I worked on the second of a pair of socks for my husband. That's Cascade The Heathers (9332 Sapphire) and Madil Kid Seta (486 Delft Blue). This is my first attempt at toe-up socks, and I'm enjoying the challenge.

The weekend was stressful, and as I knit, I found myself wondering what my therapist and many other knitters would think if they knew that with each stitch I focused not on peace, but on a fast and violent end to the sources of stress around me (and you know who you are)....Hmmm. Anyway, the thoughts were brief, and the mature adult in me (wherever she is) stepped up and brought me back to my senses.

I picked the sock up many times over the weekend, but it's knitting up much slower than the first one. I wonder if external stress is one of the factors that contribute to one-sock-syndrome? I've managed to avoid one-sock-syndrome by forcing myself to finish a pair before I start anything else. So far it's working ok. These are only the second pair of socks I've been able to part with. The first pair went to my husband as well. I made these top down using Cambio Zitron (606) and Phildar Preface.

He's an easy give cause they're never far from sight, and if I really want to, I can wear them when he's not looking ;)

I Made it to the Blogosphere

2008-01-16T23:16:00.000-07:00

That was just too easy. I've been thinking this was going to be a strenuous adventure, but here I am. Intact and unscathed.

I'm just beginning to feel human again after enduring the 100-day flu. When I wasn't comatose, I was knitting. Some days I didn't even knit. Got front number two and one sleeve done on the Kilcar sweater. Someday I'll post the picture. I'm trying to finish up many UFOs before I start the Juliaca sweater from Jane Ellison's Mirasol Project, Book One. Her baby Llama wool is whispering to me daily...It's the most gorgeous teal blue I've ever seen, and SO SO soft. When it's done, I'll have pictures. This shot of the skeins doesn't do the jade colour justice at all.

To break up the monotony of the Kilcar, I finished a pair of half gloves (Jane Ellison) and knit a sock for the husband. It's thick and soft - Cascade The Heathers with a strand of Madil Kid Seta. This is the second pair I've knit for him and again I'm pleasantly surprised at how well they fit. They're too thick for regular shoes, but he wears them around the house. He's too much of a man's man to purr in them, but they're now part of the come-home-from-work-lose-the-monkey-suit-don-the-sweats ensemble that he lives in.

Well, I've babbled enough for my first crack at this...Crack...hmmm....That's a story for another day...