The Knitting Spotlight

Mr. Bluejeans!

2008-08-18T16:46:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone!

Wow it is almost the end of summer- where did it go?? Well I could say that it is partially my fault that summer has flown by as I have been so anxious to go back to school! It's 2 weeks until I do my first week of student teaching!!

I have been very busy since I last wrote! As mentioned in my last post, I finished my icarus shawl and it was much needed at my cousins wedding. I actually was wishing it was knit in a heavier yarn it was so cold!

The weekend before we left my family and I took a day trip to Gimli and I got some lovely Icelandic Lopi yarn from Tergesens (this amazing shop right by the lake that sells practically everything- the building itself is also a historic site- LOVE IT!). The yarn is Lett-Lopi and I intend on making some lovely warm mittens with it.

Our trip was fantastic! Well except the fact that my Dad was sick 99% of the time (motion sickness- the plane combined with a suspension bridge at the Calgary zoo). I did some souvenir yarn shopping. In Calgary, I visited the ladies at Make One Yarn Studio, and let me tell you that is one fine yarn shop. It's very open and the people were so friendly- even offering me refreshments! I was after Dream in Colour smooshy, but they were out of stock so I purchased some Cherry Tree Hill supersock-in the spanish moss colourwayBEsides yarn Calgary was lovely. I got to see my best friend from High School and we went out for a lovely dinner and had one of our famous Slurpee Walks!

We went to Edmonton the next day and I spent FAR TOO much (but not as much as I thought I would) at West Edmonton Mall, and after the mall we made our way over to RIver City yarns, which is just such an adorable shop! There I was fortunate enough to pick up a skein of Blue Moon FiberArts Socks that Rocks Lightweight yarn in the Little Bunny Foo Foo COlourway.

Edmonton was good, and the wedding was really nice despite the fact it was so cold and that I hurt my back stretching that morning.

We drove out to Canmore on our last day before heading back to calgary to catch our flight, and it was quite possibly my favorite moment (although the yarn, catching up with a friend, and shopping are a tie). The mountains were breath taking! I didn't want to blink. I hope to have pics up here some time soon.

Since we got back I spoiled myself with another knit picks purchase ( I had to take advantage of the book sale), and I finished my Mr. Bluejeans sweater. I kind of went full force on the sweater after we got back and finished it yesterday. THe poor sweater would have been finished MONTHS ago but It was hibernating for a few months there. I just love the sweater and again I am crossing my fingers for fall so I can wear it.

IT is so nice and warm and cozy! I can see myself wearing this with almost everything and will be perfect for school!

Anyhoo that's about all- right now I'm working on the socks I Cast on for our trip and barely worked on, and thinking about future projects. Take care and happy knitting!

Well... it's been a while

2008-07-20T15:09:00.003-05:00

Oh has it ever been a long time since I last wrote about my knitting. I have been so busy with work that every time I log onto the internet it is only for a few minutes here and there. Well summer is almost half over which means it's almost time to start school :D big yays!

I found out which school I'll be student teaching at and I must say I am very impressed. It is a private school in the area and the teacher I will be learning from seems like an amazing person!

I was reading over my last post to see where I was when I last wrote and it was the day before my convocation. Well you will all be happy to hear that I am now a graduate of the University of Winnipeg with my Bachelor of Arts. It's kind of funny how I will be part of the alumni association and the student association at the U of W. .... in my world of knitting I have become obsessed with one project. My Mr. Bluejeans sweater? No. My Jaywalker socks? no. Shortly after I wrote my last post I cast on the Icarus Shawl with Knit Picks Gloss Lace yarn in the Sterling colourway. I finished this very shawl yesterday and I must say it is stunning! The most beautiful thing I have ever made. At times it was a challenging project and I basically abandoned all other projects for the month and a half it took me to knit the shawl, but it was so worth it.THis picture does not do the shawl justice. Trust me... it is much nicer in person.

As I mentioned before, my other projects have been abandoned. I have not touched the sweater in almost 2 months, I frogged the baby cable socks (the yarn was just not working for socks), and I had abandoned the jaywalkers for some time. I did manage to finish one and get about halfway done the second :D

Isn't the colour amazing? I just love the Knit Picks Felici yarn in the mixed berries colourway.

Well that is about all. I'm heading to Alberta in a little over a week and intend on making some yarn shop stops :D. With any luck I'll grab another chance to blog before summers end... until then Happy Knitting.

Knitting post

2008-05-31T15:43:00.002-05:00

While I have been working a ton I have also been progressing well with my knitting. I am currently working on the first sleeve of my Mr. Bluejeans sweater. Loving this sweater to death and, although I've come to a slight halt and not working on it as much as I should, I absoloutly can not wait until Fall to wear it! I have two pics of it. The first is from a distance of the back and the second is a close up of the darling little cables!

I'm loving the colour of the yarn and I just love Patons Classic Merino Wool!

I've made progress on the Baby Cable rib sock- not as far as I'd like to be- but I'm really not caring for the yarn. It's knit picks palette which technically isn't a sock yarn and it's not too bad to knit with but compared to others it does feel really cheap. The sock is slightly small- not so small that I should rip-it and redo it but small enough that it can be a pain to try on while knitting.

Also on my birthday which happened to be about a week and a half ago I started a Jaywalker sock with Knit Picks Felici yarn (mixed berries)! LOVE IT! I love the yarn and the pattern! IT's so much fun! I was making insane progress but I've kind of slowed down the past week but hope to finish the first sock by the end of next week (but we know how I am with knitting goals).

Speaking of my birthday! I got some great stuff: I got some luggage for our trip to Calgary/Edmonton this summer. Money (which has been put to good use!), A manicure which I went and had done this afternoon and my nails look amazing! A yarn/project basket, and forbidden flavours gift cert (a coffee shop by my house).

My gift of money went to great use, although I haven't seen it yet. I made a big Knit Picks order. I bought 3 skeins of wool of the andes in various colours for some felting projects, 2 skeins of Essential sock yarn in African violet, 3 skeind of Gloss lace yarn in Sterling (a grey/white/sorta blue/purple colour), Fitted Knits(book), Best of Interweave knits(book), 2 skeins of Cotlin yarn (one in a purplish colour and one in a green), and a circular needle.

My hope is to use the lace yarn, and circular needle and the Icarus shawl pattern in the best of interweave knits book! My very first lace shawl project so I'm quite excited with anticipation! I haven't received the order yet but it should be coming sometime next week.

In other good news- my convocation is tomorrow and I'm so excited! It seems like i've been waiting forever to finally get my degree and finally the day is almost here.

Anyways thats about all. Happy KNitting!

My Little Gentleman

2008-05-31T15:37:00.003-05:00

A little less than 2 weeks ago my family suffered a major loss. Our beloved cat Boo Boo passed away at home at the age of 17 on May 19. He was an amazing companion and you could not have asked for a better guy. I was 5 years old when we found him at the pet store and something just drew me to him. You never heard a cat purr like him and sometimes all you had to do was look at him and the purring would start.

About a month or so ago he started to grow ill and we knew that his time was coming. It was hard to grasp but we all know that he is in a better place and that grandma is taking really good care of him, probably spoiling him (which of course he deserves!). There is still an empty feeling in our home and a major piece missing in my heart. This is a picture of my little prince- I actually took a picture of a picture because it wouldn't scan very well and I did not have a picture that best represent BooBoo on my digital.

May my little guy rest in peace and remember that he was loved and will always be loved by so many! We love you Boo Boo!

The Monkeys are Done :D

2008-05-11T14:13:00.002-05:00

Hip Hip Hooray my monkey socks are done and now I can hide those dreaded bamboo dpn and never use them again (unless I am desperate for that size!). They turned out quite good and they would have been done MONTHS ago had it not been those horrible dpns which slowed me down not only in my pace of knitting but also discouraged me from picking up that project and work on it. I think at one point I actually went over a month without touching them. Now they are done and they are fabulous and i put them on last night and did a happy dance around the house :D. I was so hoping to finish them before the weather warmed up and sure enough the day I finish them looks like the last chilly day for a while- oh well I will now have a great pair to start the school year off with. Here are some pics for your enjoyment!

I think there may be a smudge on my camera lens, which I must remember to go clean once I finish this.

These lovely socks were knit with the lovely Christmas present of Shibui KNits sock yarn from Jenna :D. I do hope to one day start another pair but not on those bamboo dpns but on my lovely set of knit picks nickel plated dpns.

In other project news: my Mr. Greenjeans sweater is progressing nicely. I'm almost done the body- i have about 4 more repeats of the cable pattern before binding off and starting a sleeve. I'm loving the Patons yarn for the sweater and I absoloutly can not wait to be done. Except I fear once I'm done i'll be crossing my fingers for a chilly day just so I can wear it... which I'm sure others would not enjoy.

My baby cable rib socks haven't been touched in weeks since the monkey socks and sweater have taken first priority, I officially have moved my rowan scarf into hibernation until summer or some day when i'm bored. The log cabin blanket is still just sitting there and picked up every so often but there is no rush on that.

On deck: I really need to make my mom some new dishcloths and I have some great patterns from Creative Knitting which I have been dying to try. I really want to do a bit of baby knitting since my cousin and his wife are expecting, and my mom's cousin who held onto my grandma's patterns for us has a daughter who is also expecting. I'm thinking some nice booties or baby socks sound good. Maybe even a hat or two since both these babies will be born around fall time, i think.

I'm also drooling over several other sweater patterns- knitting sweater sure can become addictive. I also have so many socks I want to knit and I'm hoping that once i get a little further on my babycable rib socks I'll be able to cast on jaywalkers with either my Patons kroy socks stripes or my Knit Picks Felici yarn.

I want to wish Jenna a happy belated birthday and I am quite excited about her knitting birthday party on Friday- I told her that I'll be there with yarn on, lol. I'm also very excited because in a week and a half I turn 23- 23 WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN! It is also the day of my orientation for the education program which 2 1/2 weeks later I still can't believe I got accepted.

Also in exactly 3 weeks I should be arriving at the u of w for my convocation and waiting to get my cap, gown, and hood :D Oh i'm so excited to graduate! Everytime I think of it I get a little giddy.

Anyhoo I best be off- happy knitting everyone!

Oh the Excitement!

2008-04-26T16:11:00.003-05:00

Big Yays!!! I got into the Education program at the University of Winnipeg :D. I scored one of the 35 spots available for my teaching stream! I can not tell you how good this feeling is. It's a little over 2 years from the date I finally realized that teaching is what I want to do and for the past two years I have been working so hard towards this goal.... taking courses that scared me to death (Calculus), slaving over applications and then the constant pain in my stomach I would get just thinking about the possibility of not making it. Now 2 years later I am stress free and so happy to know that I will be going to school to finally work toward my future career!

I, however, have been pretty slack on the knitting front. My monkey socks are about 3 repeats shy of toe decreases and I'm about to work the heel flap on the first baby cable rib sock. I did get a block of colour done on my afghan, and the Rowan scarf is officially hibernating until I feel like some mindless scarf knitting.

Last weekend I did pull out my new Kitty Knits book and whipped up a felted catnip mouse, which is SUPER CUTE and my cats love it :D (i'm getting quite fond of this whole felting thing, it's fun!)

awwww... isn't it cute.

I also have decided to scrap the cardigan pattern I had chosen last entry. I am now going to attempt the Mr. Greenjeans cardigan sweater from Knitty. I bought the yarn last night and I'm going to knit it up with Patons Classic Merino wool in a lovely colour called "new denim" so I guess I'm knitting Mr. Bluejeans *insert laughter here*

Other than those updates there really isn't anything else knitting related. I do hope to pick up the sticks a little more in the next week or so since it looks like my work schedule might slow down for the time being.

Anyhoo, Happy Knitting.

New Projects... New Yarn

2008-04-13T15:51:00.002-05:00

My it has been a while since I last wrote. Much has happened since then.... yes the Monkey socks are still slowly progressing (I Blame the bamboo needles, which I am not fond of, for them not being done yet). I have, however, completed my Sweet and Seamless sweater from Not Your Mama's KNitting. I knit it in Ella Rae classic in a nice dark pink/purple colour. I've worn it a couple times already and I am loving it :D. Such a big improvement from the last sweater. THis picture does not do it justice. It's pretty form fitting underneath a long sleeved tee and it just fits perfectly!

I also remembered to take a pic of my Felted cable bag which I finished weeks ago. The picture actually didn't turn out too bad for this one. It's super cute but pretty tiny so I use it to hold my nintendo DS- the perfect size!I made another chapters purchase a week or so ago. I bought THe Friday Night Knitting Club, Kitty KNits, which is an adorable book with so many things I want to knit for my feline friends, and SEnsational Knitted Socks which is a great book (so far). I've already started the pattern for the Baby Cable Rib Socks knit in another purchase I made.

I made my very first Knit Picks purchase and what great service! A little over a week and my yarn was in my hands. I bought 2 skeins of Felici sock yarn in Mixed Berries, 2 skeins of Essential sock yarn in Burgundy, 2 skeins of Pallette in Tidepool Heather, and a set of NickelPlated DPN's. Loving them all... what a difference with the nickel plated as compared to the bamboo dpn's i bought at Ram Wools back in January.

Here is a pic of the baby cable rib socks which I am knitting on 2.25 mm dpns with Knit Picks Tidepool Heather Pallette sock yarn (which isn't the best quality but i'm still really enjoying!). The pic is a little blurry and you can't really see the baby-cables but they are really cute.

I've also been thinking about my next sweater project and I think I might attempt a cardigan. I found a pattern of my grandma's which looks like a great first cardigan pattern- pretty basic but could be fabulous in a spectacular yarn! Which gosh darn means I have to go to the LYS and pick out a new yarn to play with, lol.

Anyhoo that's about all- still making progress on the log cabin blanket but not enough to post a pic yet. Hope spring is treating everyone well- Happy Knitting!

Easter Fun!

2008-03-22T11:19:00.004-05:00

Happy Easter Weekend! I just love Easter, I think next to Christmas it may be my fave holiday. I am currently just putting the finishing touches on my cousins easter treasure hunt for tomorrow. For the past few years I've been doing this where I create a bunch of clues which will eventually lead them to a treasure box with a treat in it for them. This year I got my two girl cousins My littly pony toys and I got my 11 year old boy cousin a light up yo-yo. They will also each be receiving a knit easter egg from a pattern in the March 2008 Creative Knitting (which I bought last saturday just days before it was replaced by the May 2008, phew that was close!). I have knit two eggs so far with one to go, but they only take 2 hours to knit so no worries. I knit one in Vanna's Choice (purples) and one in Red Heart (orange), now the Vanna's choice I love working with, in fact I'm still working on a blanket in that very yarn. It is a very nice acrylic and I haven't had any issues knitting with it. This REd Heart, however, almost broke my fingers. IT's not the nice soft Red Heart... no... it's the could be plastic super skein in bright orange I got to make the very same cousin golf club covers for Christmas. As I was knitting it I could literally hear it squeeking and my hand was in pain from trying to maneouver the increases and decreases. The stripe on that very egg is from the yarn I made my first sweater with (and still only completed sweater) and I have no clue how I knit a huge garment with that. The eggs are really cute though and I think my cousins are going to love them!

Last night I finally finished my first Monkey sock. I sat down yesterday afternoon and thought about picking up the final easter egg and getting it done but the monkey sock was calling my name. I had to do two more repeats of the lace pattern and then the toe so I figured it would be a manageable project for the evening. When I did finish the sock, however, I failed to immediatly CO for the next sock, so i'm keeping my fingers crossed I don't come down with second sock syndrome and leave the poor sock until I finish some more projects (in this picture you can see the paw of my little helper, maggie).

At knitting group this past week I really began work on scarf using Rowan Soft Lux yarn I bought at Ram Wools back in... january?? I think. I love this yarn, it is so pretty and soft and so much fun to knit with. It is a scarf and it is almost spring here in the 'peg so I'm in no hurry to finish it. I have a funny feeling it is going to become my "i'm bored with everything else"project and get ignored a lot. As long as it is done by the time the snow flies in the fall the I'll be happy.

As a nice Easter present for my mom I decided to try ballband dishcloth from the Mason Dixon knitting book. I loved knitting this, the constant changing of colour made it a really interesting knit and not as monotonous as a classic dishcloth. I finished it and gave it to my mom yesterday and she loved it!

Now.... what else have I finished... I finished my brothers mittens, yay! Last week I also finished my felted mini bag, which I failed to take a picture of. I love it. The felting went well, although being my first felting project I feel I may have over-felted it just a smidge since the cabling is not as defined as I would have liked. Despite that I am very pleased with how it turned out and I'll try to remember a picture for next time.

Sweater Update: I have been working on so many little projects it has been ignored, although I do hope to be finished the body VERY soon and then the sleeves will take next to no time and before I know it I should have a sweater (and hopefully before it's +30 C outside).

Blanket Update: Still looking adorable, loving the colours, but it is a project that will be slow going and I fully expect it to take forever... once I've knit a few more rounds I'll post a pic to show the progress!

Happy Easter Everyone! Hope the Easter bunny treats you all very well and happy Easter Knitting!

Hip Hip Hooray!

2008-02-25T11:24:00.002-06:00

Hip Hip Hooray the weather is FINALLY warming up!!! After weeks of being in the deep freeze Winterpeg is FINALLY warming up :D. I had full intentions on updating this blog a while ago but I came down with a whopper of a cold, it was REALLY bad, and I'm still feeling the tail-ends of this cold. I also did not get much knitting done during that time, so you know I had to be REALLY sick. I barely knit for an entire week, but don't worry I'm trying to make up the time now.

I have begun work on a log cabin blanket from the Mason Dixon knitting book. So far I'm having a blast knitting this thing, although i'm getting slightly irritated with my circular needle but nothing I can't handle. The colours are looking great together and it is a great project to pick up when I just need some mindless knitting.

My sweater is past the body shaping part and i'm just doing some mindless stockinette until it reaches it's measurements and then i can work on the sleeves. My goal for the sweater is for it to be done by April, but i'm really hoping for mid- March so I can get some wear out of it before the warm weather hits. It doesn't really look any different since the last picture, maybe just a bit longer, so I didn't bother taking a pic.

The monkey socks, oh the poor monkey socks. These socks were left alone for close to 3 weeks without being touched. I know, it's disgraceful. However, the past weekend I felt like monkeying around and I finished the leg, finally, and have begun the heel flap! Yay! I'm loving the yarn sooo much, it's so soft and lovely.

I may have mentioned in the last post that I finished the first mitt for my brother, well thats still about where I am. With the extreme cold weather I just could not bring myself to pick up a pair of mittens to work on. It just depressed me. I'm hoping that now the weather is shaping upI will be able to finally finish them so my brother can get a little wear out of them before they need to be packed away. I do, however, have a pic of the one completed mitten. Cute eh?

I'm also still slowly working on my mini felted cable bag. I'm not quite done the body but I may focus more on it in the next few days to get it out of the way. I'm quite anxious to try felting but am fully expecting to have a total mess.

Anyways that is about all on the knitting front. I best be off and Happy Knitting!

Grrrr....

2008-02-06T13:13:00.001-06:00

Grrrr I am getting really tired of this whole winter thing. On the bright side you can knit and knit and knit and not have to worry about melting from the heat. My knitting has been going nicely but I have not had as much time to knit as I thought I would since I'm working quite a bit at the daycare which leaves weekends and nights to knit. I have finished my mittens and love them :D, but they aren't super warm so I still have to wear my lined mitts to work in case we take the kids outside. These mitts will be perfect for when the weater starts to warm up a bit.
I have a ton of projects on the go right now. I started a sweater which I am knitting in the round with Ella Rae classic wool and on a 4.5 mm 32 inch circular. Loving it so far and I really hope it turns out because it will be so nice to wear once it is done.

I was making really good progress with my monkey socks. I knit one repeat a night for 3 nights in a row but for about a week they have sat untouched. I'm still undecided on the bamboo dpns i'm using but I am loving the yarn and the pattern :D

On the weekend I was flipping through my 101 Designer One Skein Wonders book and decided to throw a mini felted messenger bag onto some needles. I am not that far along but I may take it to the knitting night tonight to work on and hopefully get a big chunk finished. I'm knitting it with Patons Classic Merino Wool in a teal like colour. This will be my first felting project and I am quite excited to see what it will look like but my expecatations aren't that high, with it being my first felting project after all. I've also got another pair of mittens on the go for my brother but they aren't that exciting. It's basically the same pattern as my flip top mittens just a little larger and brown yarn.

I bought the Mason Dixon Knitting book a week ago and I am loving some of the patterns in it. So much that i have gone out and bought 18 balls of Vanna's Choice yarn (a good acrylic yarn that does not squeek) to make a log cabin blanket. I haven't officially started it but I bought a circular needle and the yarn this morning. I'm using 6 different colours (blue, dark purple, light purple, grey, pink, and brown). The colours work wonderfully together and I am quite excited to start knitting it up. I thought about investing a little more money into the project and make it out of wool but then it dawned on me that this is going to be a blanket and acrylic is more practical.

Anyways that is all, I'm quite busy with projects and intend on working a few rows of my sweater as soon as I hit save... so Happy Knitting.

Hurry Up Mittens!

2008-01-21T14:15:00.000-06:00

BRRRRR it is soooo frigid in here the 'peg and I am very close to being done a lovely pair of flip-top mittens knit in Patons SWS (which I am LOVING). They are super cute and with any luck I will be done these mittens today and put them into winter rotation

aren't they cute??? Plus the one that I have finished is very warm, which is a bonus! However, with any luck I won't be wearing them TOO much but who am I kidding, it's winnipeg.

I have also cast on my very first pair of monkey socks! EXCITING! I haven't got very far only a couple of rounds but I am very excited about them :D. I'm knitting them with the lovely yarn Jenna got me for Christmas! I am still trucking along on my Kroy Socks and once they are done the monkey's will have more of my attention.

Onto more exciting news... I finally made a trip to my LYS :D. I know it's quite sad that I have been knitting for 1 1/2 years and have yet to make the trip but I can tell you that it is a good thing I waited until I was working because that place is heavenly. I bought some Ella Rae classic wool for a cute little sweater I'm working on, some Rowan Soft Lux that was on sale, a pair of bamboo 32 inch circulars, bamboo 2.5 mm dpns, and susan bates 16 inch circular. Plus a copy of the Winter Kint Simple magazine.

Last week I attended my very first knitting night with Jenna and it quite fun. Sitting around a bookstore and knitting was such a new experience for me and I got a chunk of my Kroy sock done. The next one isn't for a few weeks but I'm sure i'll go again.

Anyhoo I'm going to go work on my flip top mittens and then head off to work (i'm working a split today 7-1 then 3:30-5:30). Happy Knitting!

New Year... New Knitting... New Post

2008-01-14T11:47:00.000-06:00

Happy belated new years! I really should try and post more in the new year. Well I have been quite busy since my last post. I had a great Christmas and I got the cutest thing ever! At a craft sale in November I saw this adorable little sheep yarn caddy, but I wasn't working at the time so I couldn't bring myself to buy it. A few hours later, apparently, my aunt and cousin went to the same craft sale and bought it for me :D I love it!I also got some great books. I got 101 Designer One Skein Wonders, Vogue Stitchionary Vol. 1, and Casts On (gotta love the Yarn Harlot). On top of all that I got Michaels gift cards which have already been put to good use!

On the knitting front I FINALLY finished the first Kroy Sock, and I am pretty far along on the second :D yay! I knit up a pair of dorm socks for my cousin out of that lovely orange red heart yarn. I think he likes them and they didn't take long to knit up. I finished the calorimetry but failed to take a pic. It was a bit large and next time I will cast on fewer stitches but still quite nice. I also have cast on and am almost done my first Taos Slipper from the 101 designer one skein wonders book. Not too sure about the pattern yet but I guess we will see once I sew the first one up.

I am currently thinking about a new sweater. I found this pattern in my "not your mama's knitting" book. It's called Sweet and Seamless and it is a short sleeve sweater to wear over a tight fitting long sleeved top and it is knit in the round so no seams to sew up. I need to get the yarn still and some circular needles but as of now I'm thinking that this sweater will be my next major project. I also need to get a new pair of Dpn's to turn that lovely yarn that Jenna gave me for Christmas into Monkey Socks.

I don't believe there is any more to write about and hopefully i'll be able to stick to my blogging resoloution and type up a little more often. Happy Knitting :D

5 more days!!!!

2007-12-20T13:35:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-06T13:33:00.000-06:00

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....

2007-11-17T14:19:00.000-06:00

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

2007-11-06T12:52:00.000-06:00

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

2007-10-26T14:25:00.000-05:00

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 :(

2007-10-09T15:56:00.000-05:00

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

2007-09-06T14:05:00.000-05:00

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!!

2007-08-26T14:48:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-30T13:16:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-07T21:06:00.000-05:00

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....

2007-06-22T12:59:00.000-05:00

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.

2007-06-11T13:12:00.000-05:00

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....

2007-05-31T12:58:00.000-05:00

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

2007-05-17T14:22:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-05-07T13:40:00.000-05:00

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

2007-04-26T15:13:00.000-05:00

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

2007-04-20T22:32:00.000-05:00

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

2007-04-19T15:23:00.000-05:00

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.