5 more days!!!!

YAY!!! 5 more days until Christmas day :D!! I have been so busy the past few weeks I just don't know where the time went. It is all because of my Dad's 50'th birthday party which we had last weekend. THat party took up a lot of time and I was so far behind in my wrapping and baking, and, of course, knitting. So last Sunday I spent 3 hours just wrapping presents and then yesterday I made this delicious chocolate candycane cookies with white chocolate drizzle, and today I made my gingerbread men which are cooling/icing setting on my parents bed with the door closed away from any animals who may try to steal a bite. Work is going well I am officially 2 weeks into the new job and so far so good. I've been working 3-4 hour shifts only but tomorrow I have my first 6 hour shift and it is the kids last day of school and the center is throwing a Christmas party for them at lunch which should be a lot of fun :D. NExt week I work 7-11 on christmas eve, and then thursday and friday 10-6. Yay yarn money!
I am FINALLY finished my christmas knitting. Tuesday night Jenna came over for a knit-together and I was able to whip up the final dishcloth for my aunt and uncle.

She also surprised me with a gift of yarn. That Jenna is much too generous. It is this beautiful blue sock yarn which I just can't wait to starting knitting with :D:
This past week before I finished the dishcloths I cast on a Calorimetry. I'm working it with Vanna's choice yarn in a lovely Purple shade. I'm thinking it might be a little big but thats okay, i'll just remember to cut down on the stitches next time. Plus you can never have to much fabric keeping your head warm here! I'm a little more than halfway done but I took this picture the other day shortly after I started.
Remember those Patons Kroy Socks I cast on WAY back in October. Well... i've barely touched them since then. Just a row here and row there. My goal is to hopefully have the first one done by New Years since I am now done my christmas knitting and should be done the calorimetry very soon. Here's a pic showing exactly how little I have done since the last picture. Well that is about all the knitting news I Have. I'm hoping to pick up some nice new dpn's to knit some nice socks out of my lovely gift from Jenna. Perhaps, monkey socks?? Who knows. Anyways I best be off... Merry Christmas and Happy KNitting!

Happy December :D

It's December :D yay!!! My favourite month of the year... eventhough it is an exam month. Speaking of exams... I'm done :D! I have one more paper to hand in and my BA is complete! I also just got a new job at a daycare in my neighbourhood. I started yesterday and had my second shift this morning... so far so good, it'll be so much better once I get to know all the names. This also marks the beginning of the B.Ed application process. I had an info meeting at the U of M last night where I got all the application and referee materials. U of M apps are due Feb 1 and U of W apps are due Mar 1.

December means baking month so I may have to put aside some cherished knitting time to make a lot of yummy baked goods.... on the agenda: shortbread cookies, mint thins, gingerbread men, candycane cookies, and a nanaimo cheesecake for boxing day dessert (we're celebrating christmas on boxing day with my mom's side of the family). mmmm can not wait to get started, there are also some other recipes I may attempt this week or early next... just for fun.

In knitting news I have completed my moms mittens and they are wrapped up already. I have a pic of the finished bolero... which I adore. I'm so glad I didn't wait until after christmas to start this:

I decided to make some Swirly Girl mitts(same as my moms) for the secret santa thing we do with my dads side of the family. I'm knitting them with Bernat Natural Wool Blend, which is a really nice yarn. I'm done one and about 30% done the second so hopefully by the end of the weekend they will be complete:

My grandpa's coasters are complete. I finished the first three so quickly and then I didn't touch the 4'th for two weeks. Finally the other night I cast on and made myself get the project done so I could cast on and begin the first dishcloth for my aunt and uncle. These projects are both knit with Bernat Handicrafter Cotton:

On the knitting agenda: a new pair of mittens for me and perhaps even casting on a new sweater...hmmmm. Or am I more in the mood for an afghan. Anyways once i'm done these two projects I am officially done my christmas knitting :D yay! WEll I best be off... Merry Knitting!

Almost done....

I'm almost done school and i'm almost done my christmas knitting!! Last night I finished my cousin's golf club covers. I knit him two and joined them with a crochet chain. Very BRIGHT ORANGE! I also finished my dad's slippers a little over a week ago. I got my brother to try them on just to make sure they will fit, and they did!

Last weekend I knit up a gaiter (neck warmer) for my brother for christmas. I could not find a pattern that I liked so I sat down, knit a swatch, and designed my own. It's really simple I just cast on the required amount of stitches and did K1 P1 ribbing for around 6-6 1/2 inches. Alternating colours every 2 rows. I used some leftover Bernat Softee Chunky from his present last year, so this will match his hat!

Last weekend I also began making coasters for my grandpa. I'm using bernat handicrafter cotton in a nice blue colour which matches the colours in his condo. I found the pattern through ravelry and I think it's called a Mod-Coaster, found on the DYI network website.

I've got two done and I think I have enough yarn to make 2 more, for a set of 4! With any luck i'll be done these by the end of next week.

My mom's present I had not touched in close to 2 weeks but yesterday, since I worked hard all week, I gave myself the afternoon off from school work and got quite a bit done on the second mitt. A couple more hours of work and my mom's present will be done. So this means all i have left is a couple dishcloths for my aunt and uncle and then maybe a pair of mittens for the secret santa gift exchange we do on my dad's side of the family (finally they decided to remove all the adults from the kid gift exchange, last year I was the oldest cousin present.. felt very odd). I'm thinking about getting some of that Bernat Cashmere yarn to knit them up, I also noticed a some mittens on ravelry using that yarn and they were trés cute.

Anyways I best be off, we're having turkey (i know it's not thanksgiving or christmas but it's kind of a family tradition to have turkey in between the two at least once) for dinner tonight with the family and i'm making this pumpkin spice cake with a cream cheese frosting which I must go prepare shortly. Take care and Happy Knitting.

Christmas is Coming :D

Oh I am such a christmas fanatic! Anyone who really knows me knows that I wait each and every year for Nov. 1 so I can start blaring my Christmas music! Now I have to wait until the end of november or very beginning of december to put the tree up and it's almost killing me. We had our first snowfall here in the peg on Halloween, if you can call that a snowfall... it melted as soon as it hit the ground. Yesterdays snowfall was a little more successful, but I am waiting for that beautiful fluffy snow that really screams CHRISTMAS! Yes I may be nuts for wanting the snow, and yes I'm sure that once January comes I will be praying for it to melt, but I think that it is just physically impossible to have Christmas without snow, despite what others say.

I have been semi-productive in the knitting department. I have completed 1 mitt for my moms christmas present:

also I have completed 1 slipper for my dad:

I invested in some insane orange yarn for my cousins present (they just don't make small skeins of this colour, trust me I looked!), and I whipped him up a golf club cover in the lovely orange. I think i'm going to make him another one so he'll have a pair:

This past weekend, since I couldn't work on Christmas presents I thought I would try out my lovely christmas cotton yarn and knit up a nice dishcloth. I am actually forbidding anyone from using it as a dishcloth because it is much too pretty. It can be used as a hotpad, and thats it!

I made my other cousin a nice drink cozy, but failed to take a pic of it. IT is exactly like my brothers except blue with a brown C on the front.

As for my ribbed lace bolero, well I have been slowly working on it but as you can see it has kind of been christmas present central here the past few weeks. The sock I have not touched since the last entry, maybe a couple for rows. I doubt i will get much more done on that until I am done school and nearing the end of the christmas presents.

Anyways I have some school work to do, so I best be off. Happy Holidays!

Busy Busy Busy

Woo Hoo 2 posts in October!! I have been so busy with school that usually I just grab a few seconds on the internet to check out facebook, ravelry and some other sites every day. Plus that is usually on my brothers computer upstairs. Speaking of ravelry... I am addicted. Since I got my invite in early October I just can't leave that site alone.

Well knitting wise I have been making progress... slow progress, but progress nonetheless. I have started a few new projects. One being the ribbed lace bolero, which i found on ravelry <3

I also have a pair of socks on the needles. I'm using just the basic sock pattern from Patons. Knit with Patons Kroy Socks in Winter Eclipse. I had some issues at first with it and had a minor knitting emergency when I had to rip back half of it. I tried to just tink it back but I had gone a little to far and just gave it and ripped out, but now it is looking good. I'm just about done the instep of the first sock:I had completed one christmas present; a nice gaiter for my brother for christmas but it turned out too small for his head so I may give it to my cousin or keep it and donate it to charity or something. So now i had to set out and find a new present for my dad and brother. I'm making my dad a pair of slippers out of Bernat Softee Chunky and a pattern that I found in my grandma's patterns. I may make my brother the same thing or custom design him a hat... we'll see how the slippers go.
I also have cast on my mom's present. A nice pair of mittens. THey are knit on two straight needles and I found the pattern in the November issue of Creative Knitting, which I am really liking. May consider a subsciption to this magazine. I am a little further on than the picture I am about to post as I took that pic yesterday morning to post on ravelry and finished the thumb gusset yesterday afternoon. I'm knitting these mitts with Patons classic merino wool:

I've added a big skein of bright orange yarn to my collection to knit my cousin some golf club covers for christmas. I had no intention of buying that much but it was all I could find. I also found some Christmas handicrafter cotton... so I must make some christmas dishcloths or hotpads :D. Well that is about it. I kind feel like a slurpee, eventhough it's freezing, that's what make me a true Winterpegger. Happy Knitting everyone, and Happy Halloween :D

I know... disgraceful :(

The lack of posts... I know I know... pathetic. But I have GOOD reason. It's a little thing I like to call School. I have been sooo busy with school and papers (I Have 9 papers due this term AHHHHH) in fact I wrote one this afternoon (so if there are any stupid mistakes... humour me and ignore them :D)

Knitting has slowed down... not to a complete halt but not at the same pace as the summer. No major projects, although I do have my eye on this bolero which I might throw onto needles before Christmas... we'll just see how Christmas presents start moving.

Speaking of Christmas presents... I'm done 3 :D. Mitts for my Aunt and scarves for my 2 girl cousins. I had one scarf done over the summer but it was to small for me but perfect for a 6 year old so I just whipped up her sister a matching one. The purple is Lionbrand Homespun and the burgundy is Bernat Harmony.

I also finished my summer wave socks this past weekend... Thank goodness I thought I was never going to finish them, and it's not because they were complicated it's because I kept being distracted by other projects. I knit it up with Bernat Satin Sport. Not the greatest yarn for socks, at least not this particular pattern b/c the yarn needs to be able to move easy for the leg.

At the moment I don't have any projects going and let me tell you I feel really weird. I finished the scarves last night after dinner and the rest of the night I felt so weird like I should be knitting something. I might throw some more socks on needles tonight with my Kroy Sock Yarn which I've had nearly a month but b/c of those summer wave socks I couldn't do anything with it. I might also start another christmas presents tonight.

Anyhoo, I best be off Happy KNitting!

A Knitting Milestone

Well summer has come to an end as I started school on Tuesday. I think all my classes are going to be okay, hopefully I can pull off at least B's in all of them *crosses fingers* but that will require me to limit my knitting a little bit, but not too much :). I fully intend on beginning Christmas presents very soon, I have a few ideas lined up and the yarn sitting in my bin for a few of the presents. I also have some yarn I have no idea what to do with, but thats okay, one day it'll hit me. T'is the beginning of a yarn stash, and while mine is quite pathetic at the moment once I have an income I'm sure it will grow a lot. I spent my last week of holidays babysitting my cousin and his puppy and my aunt gave me a little money in return, she wanted to buy me a gift but my cousin siad that I wanted yarn and actually was trying to get my aunt to buy some but instead they settled on a little money to put towards yarn which i'm sure will turn around into Christmas gifts.

Anyways, since I had my cousin all last week I didn't have much knitting time during the day so my scarf and blue summer wave socks have not progressed much, but are slowly getting there. I did, however, spend most of my time on my sweater.

Sweater Update: Well after 3 months, hours of work, days of procrastination where I didn't even touch the thing, I have FINISHED my VERY FIRST SWEATER!!!!! On Saturday September 1'st I sewed up the last seam and put the sweater on! IT was a very exciting moment and one I'm sure my grandma would be very proud of, perhaps even shocked! Using mattress stitches to sew it up took a little getting used to and there are some parts where it is much neater than others but overall I am very pleased. It is not 10 sizes too big nor is it too small it is a wearable sweater and I did it my very first attempt. I'm actually kind of eager to start another one but I know I really much concentrate on christmas presents right now since it will be here before we know it, but in the meantime I can enjoy my very first sweater:

This past weekend, after I completed the sweater , I did do a bit of work on my scarf and socks but I also whipped up my brothers birthday present. In "not your mama's knitting" they have a pattern for a beer cozy, and instantly I knew it was perfect for my brother's 19'th birthday. So i tried the pattern twice, once with the right yarn and needles(dpn)... too small... larger needles (dpn)...too small. So I scrapped that and decided to do without the dpn and instead modify the pattern and knit it up on straight needles. I think part of the problem was I was trying to knit his name into it and it made the fabric very tight and near impossible to get over a drink can/bottle. So this weekend I sat down surrounded by books and my sketch of what it should look like and I whipped up a nice little beer cozy with my brother's first initial on it (my first project with intarsia!). But I've got to keep this quiet until the 30'th which i'm hoping i'll be able to do, i kind of blabbed his christmas present I was knitting last year.. oops:
Anyhoo, I really don't have much more to write about... I bought some yarn on the weekend which made me happy and I'm tempted to go and buy more, perhaps this weekend. Well i'm going to jet and probably go read a chapter for my personality psych class or something. Happy Knitting!

Exciting News!!

I know I know.... there have been a lack of entries all summer long. In fact this is my first post in August, and probably my last. Fall is on the horizon, in fact today is the warmest day all week it seems so hopefully this entries will be back to normal soon. However, I start school soon and then I'll probably be knitting less and then whats the point... oh who am I kidding I probably won't knit less... how could I? My brother seems to think I'm addicted, but it's better to be addicted to a craft than addicted to something hazardous to my health and anyways Knitting is apparently the new Yoga!
Book Purchases: I love all the books I bought this summer. KNitting Rules by the Yarn Harlot is amazing and I've used it as an aid once or twice already, plus her blog is great! Just Socks is great but I think there may be a few mistakes but nothing I can't work around ( a pic I'll show you later is one I think). Not your Mama's knitting is great, I would compare it to Stitch N Bitch(SNB). THe patterns are great! I also love the SNB knitters handbook. I keep it with my other knitting bag, the one that travels with me sometimes.

Sweater Update: The sweater is coming along nicely. I'm just a little worried that the sleeves might be a bit too short, but I can try and stretch them. So now you know I am done at least one sleeve and I am almost done the second sleeve. SO lets do an overview: Back- done, front- done, sleeve-done, second sleeve- almost done. So it looks like pretty soon i'll be doing the collar then finishing it! I'm a little scared to do the collar but wheres the fun if there isn't a challenge?? I'm also kind of dreading putting it all together I've never done a mattress stitch before and i think it's the best for this kind of garment.

Other Projects: Well when I got my Just Socks book I started a pair of socks immediately. They were the reversible cable sock and I knit them with Patons Classic Wool and they will be great for skating or really cold days. The pattern asked for a short row heel but that wasn't working for me so I ripped the heel out and used my trust Knitting Rules book to create a heel of my own! and voila a nice warm pair of socks with a nice cable pattern on the leg:

I couldn't get a good enough picture to show you the cute little cables, so you use your imagination!

I'm still working my way through my razor lace scarf using Patons Lacette. The more I knit the more I love. It's been put on the backburner for a while since I'm really going full force on this sweater lately. I still try to knit on it a few times a week:Another pair of socks made it's way onto some needles about a week ago and I should be further along on them, but I am really working on this sweater lately. I'm knitting them with Bernat Satin Sport and the pattern is from Just Socks. The picture in the book is MUCH different then what I am seeing and it's so different I think that the pic in the book is matched with the wrong pattern. I'm loving how it is turning out, it has a sort of wave on the leg and is an ankle sock not a regular sized sock. I love the deep navy and am quite liking the yarn (which is good b/c i bought another ball of it to potentially make a Christmas present!). It's kind of hard to see because the yarn is so dark but hopefully once it's done I'll be able to get a better shot:

VERY EXCITING NEWS!!!!: I have some very exciting news and after months of waiting and trying to get ahold of this person my amazing mom was able to get my grandma's patterns back!!! I just got them yesterday and I am just so excited about them! I haven't organized them yet as they were just all in a huge box but I intend on getting a nice storage box and organize them into easy to find categories as soon as possible. Maybe i'll enlist my cousin who I will be babysitting this week to help me! Here is a pic of just some of the patterns... I took out 3 bunches to take a pic of but there is another bunch still sitting in the box:

Some patterns go back More than 50 years!!! The earliest one I noticed was printed in 1952!! The books from the 50's, 60's, even 70's have some great classic sweater, socks, mittens, baby etc... patterns: and some are in such great condition! Some are a little more delicate and you can tell have been used a lot! There were also some great laughs while looking through the patterns last night. THe patterns from the 80's are a total hoot!!:Yes that sweater has the dinosaurs back coming off the sleeves!!! Oh the 80's what a quirky decade!!!

Needless to say I am just ecstatic about having these patterns!! I must try and make a few things for christmas presents from them. My cousin has ordered a golf club cover and I actually found a pattern in that box yesterday!!!
Well Take care, enjoy the rest of summer and Happy KNitting!!!

Knitting the Summer Away

I am proud to announce that it is almost my one year knitting anniversary! I believe it was just before August long weekend that my knitting for dummies book arrived and I picked up my needles and began stitching away. One year later and still going strong! Anyways, it has been quite some time since I last posted but, no worries, I have been knitting up a storm (when I wasn't completely involved with the final Harry Potter book, which I am now complete and loved!)

I have completed many projects and I have made great progress on my sweater.

Sweater Update: The sweater is going great. I've been at it about 2 months, but keep in mind that I do not work on it every single day. I've been going in spurts with the sweater where I'll work on just it and then get bored and then go back to it. I am now completed the back of the sweater and I finished the front of the sweater on Saturday. All that is left are the two sleeves and the collar. It is a turtleneck collar so it may take me a while to figure out that part. I cast on and knit about 2 1/2 inches of the first sleeve this morning and I may go back to it later today and finish the ribbing. My ultimate goal is to have it finished before the end of summer, but if not by the end of summer I hope it will be done before the chilly fall days hit towards the end of September.

Finished Projects: I just have to say that I LOVE my One Skein Wonders book. There are so many little projects in there that take next to no time. I think my pink socks were the longest project taking about a month. It is such a great little book and some of the projects are great for using up leftover yarn. One project I completed WEEKS ago is a lovely lace bookmark using Bernat Baby fingering weight yarn (which was used for my socks) it uses such a little amount I could make a ton of these bookmarks just from my leftovers:

Another project that I pulled from One Skein Wonders is my Jamaica Pouch which is just a cute little bag knit on dpn's (although I think it would have been better to knit on a circular needle, there are a lot of stitches and I was constantly worried about them slipping off). It took me about a week to knit with Bernat Satin in lovely sapphire:

A few months ago I made my very first pair of socks. They happened to be dorm socks (slipper socks) and I knit them with just cheap Red Heart. Well I started to crave another pair of them but this time I knit them up with Red Heart Strata, which self stripes. I picked a great colour combination which is quite funky. When I first started them I was not overly crazy with the way the colour was looking but as I got further on in the sock it started to look really funky. Now I just need autumn so my feet will not sweat to death in them:

Another project I completed for which I do not have a photo is this lovely diamond scarf. I had a fair amount of Lionbrand Homespun yarn left over from a pair of mittens I made in January and this scarf from Lionbrand: Just scarves was calling out to me. I was hoping and praying to the knitting gods that I would have enough yarn to complete it. Unfortunately I was about 2 diamonds short of the full scarf. It is a little short but still beautiful and soft. I seem to have a stash of scarves and practice hats in my closet.. maybe they will become Christmas presents. If not that then I think I may donate them to a Charity for people who really need something warm in the winter.

Project on the Go: Currently, besides my sweater, I only have one project on the go. It is a lovely lace scarf from none other than One Skein Wonders (seriously love this book). I'm knitting it with Patons Lacette which is just a lovely mohair blend yarn. It is a fine weight yarn but it knit with 5 mm straight needles which creates a real airy feel. I'm in love with this scarf and it has to be done by fall because it will look magnificent with my leather jacket.

Here is a closer up shot of the scarf alone (this picture does not do this scarf justice!): Upcoming Knitting Projects/Ideas: Well I broke down the other day and purchased more knitting books. I ordered them through Chapters online since you save a ton of money by ordering them through their website than actually going to the bookstore and buying them. So in the next couple days I should be flipping through Knitting Rules: The Yarn Harlot Unravels the Mysteries of Swatching, Stashing, Ribbing and Rolling, Stitch 'N Bitch: A Knitters Design Journal, Not Your Mama's Knitting: The Cool and Creative Way to Pick up Sticks, and Liond Brand Yarn: Just Socks. I am quite excited to get these books. Perhaps I'll actually put down my One Skein Wonders book. I'm also hoping my mom will be able to get through to her cousin and get back the patterns of my grandmas that she borrowed her 4 years ago. I would love to have my grandmothers patterns, they may be quite dated but I used to spend hours looking at them as a child and they just hold fond memories for me especially now that I'm a knitter.
Anyways I best be off now. Happy Knitting!

a no picture entry.... *hangs head in shame*

No pictures... i know... i'm a disgrace. My camera is all the way upstairs along with my knitting and being a lazy day I really do not feel like taking pictures of everything and then having my supremely slow computer load them (the computer gods must be mad at me lately). I will try my hardest to post pics of everything I write about in this entry in the next.
Anyhoo, I had my registration appt. a week and a half ago and I was fortunate enough to get a spot in all my first choice classes, yay!! Now that course selection stress has vanished I can now focus a little bit more on my knitting.
The most major accomplishment, which occured Thursday night, was the completion of the back of my sweater! I was quite excited when I slipped those last stitches onto a stitch holder and placed it in my room, for safe-keeping, and brought out the requirements for the front. I have yet to cast on for the front of the sweater but that is a task for either later tonight or tomorrow.
I completed my PDA case about a week ago. It is very cute, a little bigger than my Palm but still works, and I've attached a very cute pink button. I also completed this very sweet lace bookmark using some of my leftover Bernat Baby, which I had used for my socks. It turned out really nicely, all delicate and girly. This bookmark is a great way to use up fingering weight yarn you may have hanging around, and as a bonus if you use sock yarn you can have a bookmark to match whatever socks you are wearing!
Today, being hot and humid and not exactly a great day to spend outdoors, I began another small project (hence why I didn't cast on the front of the sweater). It's called a Jamaica Pouch and it's from my One Skein wonders book. It's a little drawstring purse/pouch. It's quite adorable in the picture. I'm knitting it on dpn (4 or 4 1/2 mm, i think) with Bernat Satin yarn. I am done the base of the bag, which was not easy at first. Now i'm working on the sidings which is sort of like a ripple/wave (i can't think of how to describe it) pattern.
Any future projects in the works?? Well, yes, I'm hoping. There is this scarf in one skein wonders (okay there are 2 and I will choose eventually) and it's a worsted weight mohair yarn and I'm in love with the pattern. I think (emphasis on *think*) I may have found the right yarn for it, but I need to go an actually see it, it's so hard to actually see what it's like on the internet. The two options are from Patons (lacette or divine, methinks).
Well those are my knitting adventures from the past couple weeks. It seems as if these updates are further and far between due to the fact that I do not want to spend my days typing on the computer when i can be enjoying summer, but no worries, I am not abandoning my knitting. Happy Knitting and again pics next time, hopefully :P

Now I just need one cold day....

As of Wednesday I have completed my second pair of socks. They are adorable and near perfect (a few mistakes are to be expected). It took almost 4 weeks to complete the pair and well worth it. I'm sure I would have been done them much sooner if I hadn't been pre-occupied with working out my school timetable for next term, the last term of my BA... yay!!! I want to wear my new socks but it just happens to be summer and summer in the 'Peg is known to be hot and humid, not exactly sock wearing weather. I also don't exactly have any shoes that will show off my socks:You can't really see it in this picture but there are little eyelits in the ribbing. You can also see a bump on my left ankle, that would be my anklet which i was too lazy to remove before taking the picture. Aren't they adorable? I'm quite proud of them.

I had another exciting moment this week having to do with knitting. When I was a little girl I used to sit in my grandparents den with my grandma while she was knitting. She would have piles of patterns and knitting books, she also got a Mary Maxim catalogue every season. This catalogue had sweater kits and yarns and I used to spend hours leafing through the catalogues. My grandma also made me a few things out of those catalogues. One item makes an appearance every Christmas, a christmas stocking with santa on the front and it used to have a light up nose until the light burnt out. Anyways, a few months ago I was just browsing knitting websites and Mary Maxim came up... needless to say I was extrememly excited so I quickly signed up for the free catalogue. I had registered for it so long ago I had almost forgot about it so imagine my surprise when the mail came one morning and this was there:I feel like a real knitter now with this catalogue sitting on top of my knitting bag in the living room.
Sweater Update: Well the sweater is progressing. I've got a couple more inches done, a few more and I'll be able to start the shaping for the arm. Once I've got a little more done I'll post an picture.
New Project: Back in May when I got my "SNB" book almost immediatly I made a mental note of a certain project: A PDA cover. I got a Palm for Christmas and I've been looking for something to protect it but PDA covers are extremely expensive, so imagine my surprise when i finally had a pattern to knit one up myself. I'm knitting it in Bernat Handicrafter Cotton and size 4 mm needles in a really nice pink verigated colour. I'm quite liking how the colour is knitting up:

I need to knit that piece pretty long, about 10 1/2 inches, then a bit of shaping for the flap a little sewing here and there and voila, a nice home for my Palm.

That is all folks, no more knitting news. Perhaps by next time I will have another project hop onto my needles but perhaps not. Happy Summer and Happy Knitting!!

A sock addiction??? perhaps.

Well it is above 30 C here in the 'Peg today and a perfect day to sit in the nice cold basement and update the world on my knitting adventures. With the miserable and unpredictable weather the past few weeks I have had plenty of time to knit and completed a sock! I fear I may have fallen victim to the sock knitting bug. On Wednesday, after two weeks of work, I completed the sock I was making out of Bernat Baby yarn and a pattern I found in "One Skein Wonders" and after finally figuring out the kitchener stitch the toe grafting looks nearly seamless!! Here making it's world debut is my adorable little pink sock:Isn't it adorable?!?!? The next day I made sure to cast on the second one and as of this morning I was a about half done the leg:Socks give you such a feeling of accomplishment. You cast on and before you know it you have something beautiful to wear. I'm hoping that once i'm finished the second one we will have just one cool day so I can wear them without overheating. I've read many articles and even got some advice on the knitlist message boards that acrylic yarns are horrible for socks because they don't allow your feet to breathe. However, I feel as my first attempt at a pair of socks on small needles and with fingering weight yarn the choice to settle for the cheaper acrylic yarn was a good decision. I am quite eager to get some actual sock yarn for my next pair. I was researching on my LYS website and they have some sock yarn that is extremely reasonable, so hopefully sometime this summer I'll get a chance to get down there, but in the meantime I'm perfectly content with making small projects with yarn I can get at the craft store, besides I am currently in the middle of a new major project:What is that?? Why I think it may be the back panel of my very first sweater. In my last post I was still torn between a sweater and an afghan, but after bringing up my confusion at a family dinner a few nights later I finally decided on the sweater. As well, after I made my decision the Michaels flier came on Saturday morning and as if it were fate the yarn I needed was on sale! Yay! As you can see I chose a nice blue, it looks great when you hold it up next to denim and I can not wait to wear it with my favourite jeans and with any luck by the time I am done it will look something like this:

My goal by my next entry is to complete the second sock, or at least be finished working the heel and gusset. With any luck I'll also have more accomplished on my sweater. Perhaps I will even have another project on the go, I kind of feel like knitting up a dishcloth so maybe some of my cotton yarn will be lucky and find itself wiping a counter before the end of the week.

Rain, Rain, Go Away....

It seems like it has been raining for the whole month of may and I am beginning to get quite sick of it. You'd think that with all this rain I would have a ton of time to knit but I really have not been that productive lately.

A couple weeks ago I finally finished my bag which I was knitting with Bernat Softee Chunky, and it turned out quite well. I sewed a lining in it and have been using it as my everyday purse. I found the pattern on Bernat's website but I sort of modified it since I didn't like the way the bernat fancy fur looked with the colour of the softee chunky.

Since I last wrote I celebrated my 22'nd birthday, aren't I old now?? Anyways my birthday was great. I got a lot of money from my family and was able to buy a couple new outfits. I also purchased a few books (which i mentioned in my previous entry). Well "One Skein Wonders" and "Stitch 'N Bitch: A Knitters Handbook" arrived about a week and a half ago and I am quite impressed with both of them. SNB is one of the best handbooks I've come across, in fact, in the week and a half since it arrived I have consulted it many times. Not only does it have great instructions and helpful tips, but the information about knitting in it is great and I already have plans to make the kitty bed in, hopefully, the near future. "One Skein Wonders" is also great. This book has some great patterns that will make great Christmas gifts for family. I love how the book is organized by yarn weight so you can substitute yarns easily. The only downside is there are a few patterns that are horrible and I would never knit, like the knit collars *blech* they just seem much too old fashioned for my tastes. ALong with the knit collars some of the hats are tacky but some are really cute. The book was worth purchasing because out of the 101 patterns there are quite a few that I hope to attempt. I've already made a pair of wrist warmers/ fingerless mittens that I knit up in Bernat Satin and were knit on dpn. I've also started a pair of socks on dpn with fingering weight yarn. The pattern says that this pattern is great with handpainted yarn as it really shows it off. I'm knitting these socks up with Bernat Baby, since it's my first time using smaller needles and fingering weight yarn I didn't want to go out and spend a lot just in case I couldn't get the hang of it. I actually had to increase the size of the needle from a size 1 to one that I believe is almost a size 2 (I don't know the actual size since my inherited my grandma's knitting needles and her dpn were all thrown together without their sizes listed so I had to sort through them with my needle guage and these ones were not quite a 2 but did not fit in the size 1 slot), I've been working on them almost a week and it's taken a while to get the hang of the pattern and I'm just about to move onto the heel of the first sock. Once I get one finished I intend to post a pic on here.
I've been working on small projects for a while (socks, bags, mittens, scarves) and I think I need to begin a project that is going to take a long time to complete and something that will be very satisfying once I'm complete it. I'm torn between attempting my first sweater or an afghan (or this afghan). I have found the patterns for both and in the long run the sweater will cost me about half of what the afghan will but I do intend on completing both of them eventually. For the afghan I will have to purchase my first circular needle and a lot more yarn, but it is something that you can use almost every day and the colour I have chosen would look great in our basement. The sweater, however, is something every knitter must one day attempt and I have the needles and the yarn will only cost about $16 for the whole sweater. I'm really quite torn.
Anyways that's about all for now. Happy Knitting!

Gotta Love Online Shopping

There is just something about shopping online that is quite exciting. I am not one of those compulsive online shoppers, in fact it's almost been a year since I last made a purchase online (and that was my Knitting for Dummies Book). Since my 22'nd birthday is just around the corner (May 21) and I know I will be getting some money from family as presents I decided to make a couple purchases in advance so that they will be here just after my birthday. I pre-ordered the Harry Potter book, One Skein Wonders ( i hear that there are quite a few mistakes in the book but most reviews are positive and with my budget one skein projects are just right), and Stitch 'N Bitch: A Knitters Handbook (which I have read many positive reviews for, although I really thought about getting Not Your Mama's Knitting, which i may keep in mind at Christmas-time). I took the free delivery option, which means I may not be getting the Harry Potter book on the release date, so hopefully no one will spoil it for me!

At the moment I only have one knitting project on the go. I'm knitting a couple dishcloths for my grandpa for his birthday(which just happens to be May 22, the day after mine). We're having the family birthday party on saturday so I really need to finish them since I only have half of the first one complete.

Yesterday I finished the bag I've written about a few times. I finished knitting it on the weekend then I bought some cheap fabric to line it and a couple clasps. It turned out really cute!! I'm quite proud of it and will post pictures most likely in my next post. I also finished my first pair of socks, I really need to practice grafting (which i'm hoping my new knitting books will do), but i've worn them around the house since they're called "dorm socks" and they are quite comfortable. Here is a picture for your enjoyment! Isn't is adorable??Anyways I best be off!! Happy Knitting!

Yay it's May!

As my title says.... Yay it's may!!! Not only is may usually a great month of the year weather wise, it is also birthday central! This month is extra special because in 2 weeks I get to celebrate my birthday. Anyways on the topic of birthdays I want to wish Jenna a happy Early Birthday/whacking day. Her and I had a lovely knitting afternoon last monday and a nice catch up... and of course she got to smother my animals with love.

I've been semi busy with knitting projects.... I'm making progress on my bag. I have 1 panel done, about half done the second panel. I still need to make the bottom and the handles. I may get some fabric to line it with, but only if I really love the end result and plan on using the bag on a regular basis.

I made a quick I-pod cozy during our little knitting party. It originally began as a kitty toy (i've decided to make kitty toys and little items, like the ipod cozy, with all my little scraps of yarn) but this kitty toy was the perfect size for my Ipod so magically it turned into an ipod cozy.

My goal for this week is to quickly make up another dishcloth for my mom... i think i have enough Bernat handicrafter cotton lying around to make one.

I also have been attempting socks on dpn *ooooooh* I found a pattern that actually uses cheap ol' Red Heart yarn (I didn't want to go out and buy actual sock/fingering weight yarn to practice with). There were a few moments of frustration, and I ended up pulling it all out twice... but as of about 11:30 AM this morning I Have my very first sock... yay!!!!

The main problem i had with the sock were tiny holes/gaps. For example where you join the heel gusset with the instep. I found a website that shows exactly how to avoid that problem, so for the next one I shall follow that. I do not have a pic of my sock, since the batteries in my camera died and I was feeling too lazy to replace them... a picture will be coming shortly. I will leave you, however, with a couple pictures of other projects I have done.

This is a dishcloth I made out of Bernat Handicrafter cotton. I found this pattern in a book I took out of the public library and the pattern was called the "company dishcloth"... because apparently it is nice enough to use when company comes to visit.





This is a "pocketbook slipper" I made for my mom. It is a very simple pattern I found back around Christmas-time. I've made 3 pairs of them so far. I use just basic Red Heart yarn and they knit up pretty fast.... a nice mindless knitting project!


Anyways I best be off.... I shall write again soon!

Knitting in the Spring-time

Ahhh spring.... how I love thee. Well I am much less stressed about my knitting, unlike the last post. I am currently working on a skinny scarf that has cable work in it. Nothing too fancy, just a nice practice project to get me used to working with cables. I also picked up some yarn at Michaels the other day. I got two skeins of bernat softee chunky and two skeins of bernat satin. I'm making a bag out of the softee chunky... although i'm altering the pattern a bit. It is supposed to have Bernat Fancy Fur as a trim, but none of the colours really go with the softee chunky. I have no clue what to make with the bernat satin. I've got a pattern for a sweater i'm hoping to start in the next few weeks, it does not look too difficult and i've been meaning to start a sweater for some time now (school, however, too priority).

I have some pictures of projects i have recently completed. I made this scarf about two months ago. It was my first attempt at lace and i was doing so well... until i mis-calculated the amount of yarn I had leftover and ran out just before I was done binding off. I tried to be artsy and sew blue edging onto the ends, didn't turn out as I had hoped... but if you ignore that I'm quite proud of this scarf.

I made this shawl about 3 weeks ago. It is just in basic stocking stitch with a garter stitch border. It started out as 3 stitches and just increased by 2 in every RS row. I used bernat chunky, and it is really quite soft and warm.... should be perfect for the cool spring mornings.

I have a couple more pictures but I think i will save them for later... plus they refuse to upload. Anyways I'm off... happy knitting.

a wee bit of frustration

Well the knitting on dpn was going great... a little messy but that is to be expected while learning. I thought to myself that I would continue on with the pattern and attempt this socks (not the prettiest socks but they would be great practice) I spent an hour working on the heel this evening only to realize that the numbers on the pattern are screwed up and don't add up properly (and this is from my knitting for dummies books). I tore out as much as i could and turned it into a nice little glass cozy.

I need a nice easy pattern for dpn since i'm just beginning but I need to be working towards something not just knitting a long tube. I also think i need to get a better yarn... I'm using cheap Red Heart stuff to practice with.

I need a project.... as of right now I have nothing started. I think i need to go to Walmart and look at their yarn either tomorrow or early next week maybe I will get some inspiration there. I want to start a sweater and I may have found a pattern, but I need to ensure that the yarn is available. I also want to make a purse.

I do have some pictures of my shawl, dishcloth, and slippers but the camera is upstairs and I am much too lazy right now to upload anything. I do have a pic of the lovely cupcakes I made for Christmas which I might as well share *awww christmas wreaths* ... eventhough it is April there is always room for a little Christmas spirit.

Here We Go

Well I was inspired by my friend to create this blog. I started knitting for various reasons. One reason was because before my grandma passed away in 2003 she decided to start making baby blankets for her grandchildren to save for when they have children. Unfortunately she only half finished the first one which was intended for me. I decided that this blanket needed to be finished and thought that it would be great if I could finish it myself. I also started knitting because the year before I taught myself some basic crochet work and I did enjoy it but just did not have the ambition to go any further than a couple of projects. Last summer I was searching for a new hobby to keep me sane during an insane school year and knitting seemed like an interesting project to attempt.
I have made great progress and have made many wonderful items since last summer. I made Christmas presents for the whole family, they were simple but it was so great to see the looks on everyones faces when they opened their hand made gifts christmas morning. Recently (the past month) I made a pair of slippers, a dishcloth, a shawl, and a scarf working with lace. I will try to get pictures up one day.
Just yesterday I sat down and began to teach myself to knit on double pointed needles. It took a few tries to get it going but it is going okay and hopefully one day soon i'll have a pair of socks to brag about. I also want to do some cable work in the next few months.
Anyways i best be off... until then knit happy.